


Sparks

by aeon7



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama & Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2019-09-19 12:51:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17002011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeon7/pseuds/aeon7
Summary: When Victor, a Death God, is having a vacation in Japan, he meets a human named Yuuri. He sees something in Yuuri, and wants to know more about it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi! This is my first time posting a story. I always have had some ideas in my head, but never had the courage to put them into words, let alone post a story. But then two days ago I woke up and thought “Let’s do this!” and managed to write the first chapter in 3 hours. Hopefully you will like it. Please leave reviews, comment, critics, so that I can improve! Oh, and English is not my first language, so I’m sorry if you spot any mistakes here and there. Thank you, and enjoy!

Victor is a Death God.

And as a Death God, he likes to think that he has a fairly normal life.

His day is usually filled with reaping souls and filling out forms. If his work for the day is finished, he usually goes to the cafeteria where he drinks coffee and has a long gossip session with his best friend, another Death God named Chris.

If Chris can't accompany him, Victor will go to the Training Department to oversee the trainees, giving pointers on how to reap souls, although mostly he goes there to annoy Yuri, a soon-to-be Death God in training, who happens to be his cousin. Later, after he receives a good scolding from Yakov, the Head of the Council, he will go back to his home and spend his time reading books or playing with his dog, Makkachin.

So, yeah, life is good.

But sometimes, it can get a little boring.

That's why Victor is walking alone in Shibuya in the middle of summer, his silver hair matted to his forehead, right hand holding a mini fan which he blasts to his face.

He and Chris are having a vacation, and Japan seems to be a good place to unwind. Their colleague, Mila, spent her vacation last year in Japan with her girlfriend Sara, and they sang praises about the country for weeks. _Go to Japan,_ they said. _It will be fun,_ they said. _You won’t get bored,_ they said. So Chris suggested the country to Victor, and off they went to Tokyo.

But there is one thing that they missed.

Mila and Sara went to Japan in April, where spring has just started and flowers blossom everywhere.

Victor and Chris went to Japan in August, where summer is at its peak and cicadas screech all day long.

Victor will murder Chris.

Except Death Gods are immortal beings. So he scratches that option from his mind and proceeds to devise a plan to torture Chris. Death Gods can't die, but they certainly can feel pains, so that's the only option Victor has right now, and he will use it thoroughly.

Talking about Chris, the man himself is nowhere in sight. He left suddenly this morning, saying that Yakov called for an ‘emergency job, can’t say no!’ and disappeared into thin air before Victor could say anything.

Victor will torture him really, really slowly.

 

\---

  
After Chris dumped him that morning, Victor got out from the hotel to kill some time. He spent his morning looking around the hotel’s perimeter, went to a nearby park to feed the ducks, and proceeded to Shibuya because Chris said ‘Shibuya Scramble is one of the things we must see and experience when we are in Japan!’. It seemed to be a good idea, until the heat hit him in full force. He only lasted for about 30 minutes, stopping by a konbini to buy a mini fan, and decided to go back to the hotel to cool down his body, and mind.

When he goes back to his room, he finds his room still empty. Chris apparently hasn’t come back from his job, which is weird, because Chris is known for reaping souls quickly. Sure, he may look flamboyant and easy going, but Chris is a down-right professional when it comes to his job. Some people even dub him as ‘cold-hearted’ because he never wastes his time to listen to the mortals’ pleads during their final moments; never gives them any kinds of closure to their short, fleeting life. Victor sometimes wonders if Chris has double personalities.

Whereas Chris is a walking poster boy of an excellent Death God, Victor is the complete opposite.

He always drags his time during the reaping process; giving the poor souls a chance to meet their loved ones before they disappear, making the most of their last moments on Earth before they are sent to Heaven, or Hell. He never bothers to check where the souls are sent to because he doesn’t care. He never cares about that, really. ‘Why?’ Chris often asks, and he just chuckles and proceeds to drink his coffee and continues rambling about the latest gossip he gets.

After all, do you really need a reason to have fun?

 

\---

 

An hour has passed when Chris reappears in their room.

And he looks… tired.

Victor raises an eyebrow. “What’s wrong, Chris? A difficult job?” He asks from his place on the couch.

Difficult job means the souls are resisting to be taken. Some humans just don’t want to accept their deaths and refuse to be taken. Some will surrender with a few reasoning and arguments, but some can be quite stubborn and proceed to run away from Death Gods. It can take hours, even days, if the soul is quite smart in hiding. In the end, though, they are always caught. After all, no one can run away from Death.

Chris sighs and sits on the bed. He runs his hand in his hair, and looks straight in the eyes at Victor.

“It’s Georgi.”

Victor blinks. Chris still looks at him.

“He… You helped him doing his job?” He asks.

Chris snorts. “You know Georgi is more than capable in doing his job.” And then he sighs.

“I reaped his soul.”

Victor gasps. “You did what?!”

“I reaped his soul. You know, took his heart out, and…”

“I know what reaping a soul means, Chris! I mean, how come?”

“Just like what the gossip says. Well, turned out it is true.” Chris answers.

Chris nods. “Yep. He falls in love with a human.”

Georgi is Victor and Chris’ colleague. He’s also Mila’s childhood friend. They graduated from the Training Academy together, and often hang out when they have free time. He is a nice guy to befriend with, although sometimes he can be a little dramatic. Besides, he is a reliable source for gossip.

The past few months, though, Georgi seemed to be a bit busier than usual, even declining the invitation to join their gossip session in the cafeteria.

And then the rumor started.

Georgi fell in love with a human.

A mere mortal.

A girl named Anya, they said, who Georgi happened to meet when he reaped a soul in Russia. A girl that managed to snatch Georgi’s short attention span with her smile and kind heart. And turned out, also took his life as a Death God.

Death Gods are immortal, but there are a few things that can bring their immortality to a stop.

Rule number one: They can’t let their existence as Death Gods be known by humans.

Sure, they can go around, roaming the Earth as they please, even having vacation just like what Victor and Chris are doing right now, but they have to be extra careful. One mistake, and it’s over. You will be stripped down from your soul-reaping powers, and sent to Earth to live your remaining life as a human. These Death Gods are called the Fallen.

Rule number two: They can’t fall in love with humans.

When Victor asked the reason why to Yakov during their trainee days, he said falling in love with human is prohibited because human, after all, are not immortal. Yes, they may be Death Gods, but they can still feel pains, and pains from heartbreak they get from loving a human - something which lasts only few years - can really affect you physically and mentally. Those things will, eventually, affect your job as a Death God. Yakov said the second rule was actually established around two thousand years ago, when a Death God fell in love with a human and turned crazy when the human died.

Ever since then, the Council decides that no Death Gods can fall in love with a human. If they do, however, they can opt for one way out.

Their powers must be taken, and they must spend their life as mortals, just like the punishment for rule number one. However, there is more to it.

The human that they love will have no memories of their relationship.

So, not only the former Death Gods will become mere humans, but they will also need to make the human fall in love with them again.

Victor always shudders when he thinks about that. Sure, he may be a Death God, but having your loved one forgets completely about you is just inhumane (Chris and Mila and _Georgi_ laughed at him when he said that to them after the class ended). He can’t imagine himself having to go through that thing. Yakov said that the punishment was necessary so as ‘to prevent more Death Gods to become humans and keep everything in order.’

And now one of his closest friends happens to choose that path.

Victor gulps. “So, Georgi, huh…”

Chris nods. “Yes, our dear Georgi.”

Victor gets up from the couch and lays down on the bed, next to Chris.

“Did he… hesitate? I mean, did you talk to him in his final moments? Did he say anything?”

Chris lays down beside him and shrugs, “You know I’m not one to drag my time around. I’m not you.”

Victor chuckles. “Yeah, of course. You always finish your job _quickly_.”

He doesn’t mean to hurt Chris, never, but he unconsciously spits the last word with more bitterness than what he intends to. Chris gets up from his position, sits on the bed and looks down on him, sneering at Victor.

“Really, Victor? Are you mad I didn’t give time to Georgi?”

Victor covers his face with both of his hands and groans. He knows he has no rights to be angry for what happened to Georgi. For what Chris did. He was, after all, just doing his job.

Victor always says that he just wants to have fun when people around him ask why he takes a long time to just reap a soul, when in fact he is interested in humans. He always has. He always listens to their stories, fulfills their last whims on Earth, because he is intrigued. What makes these mortals go so desperate for another chance, when there is another world waiting for them on the other side? Sure, he can’t say the same to those who are doomed to Hell, but it’s still another form of life, right? Maybe just a bit hotter and harder than their life on Earth, but they still can live, so it’s not that bad, really.

So that’s why he is always there: listening to the ringing laughter of a boy who got to ride a roller coaster for the first and the last time in his life, looking at the sparks in a girl’s eyes as she gazed at her boyfriend calling her name in their last date, hugging a warm body of a father who just finished reading his last bedtime story to his son, or having a tea party with a little girl on her hospital bed, her tears salty as he kissed her cold cheeks.

But Chris, he never does that. He is always one for efficiency. That’s what makes him an excellent Death God. And that’s why, Victor thinks, Yakov decided to call Chris and not him. Victor will listen, take his time because he has plenty, and maybe even hesitate to reap Georgi’s soul.

“I’m sorry, Chris. Really. I didn’t mean to.” Victor says. He peeks between his fingers to look at Chris. Chris still sits down beside him, but now the sneer has gone and is replaced by a look of understanding. Victor may never disclose his reasons to reaping souls slowly, but he knows that Chris knows. He always knows. Hell, that’s why they’re best friends; because they understand each other without having to say everything out loud.

“Just... forget it. I can never be mad at you, anyway. And now, as a form of apology, I demand you to accompany me to a bar with me tonight. There’s this interesting bar I found on this brochure…”

 

\---

 

The rest of the day went pretty well. After ordering room service for lunch (because they can’t stand the summer heat outside) they spent their day resting and surfing TV channels in their room. They stumbled upon a variety show about cafes around Tokyo and made a plan to visit them the next day. After that, they had dinner and went to Shinjuku Ni-chome to go to the interesting bar Chris saw on a brochure.

Turned out, it was a gay bar. How Chris got his hands on a brochure about gay bars in Shinjuku Ni-Chome (or how the hell there’s even a brochure about gay bars in the first place), Victor will never, and don’t want to know. Victor and Chris have no problem going to a gay bar; after all, both of them are gay. So they had a really good time there. They drank and danced a bit, until Chris spotted a pole on the dance floor, and everything went a bit… wild.

A pole, alcohol, and Chris is the worst combination ever. So as Victor looked at Chris pole dancing on the dance floor, he decided to be the wiser one of the two and cut down his alcohol intake for the night, because he knew Chris would never come out from this bar in a sober condition.

 

\---

  
Victor ends up dragging a very drunk Chris to their hotel room, trying very hard not to mind the stares and giggles from the hotel staff who pass by them.

Victor will torture Chris really, really slowly.

Victor manages to fish out their room key and drags Chris into their room. He miraculously manages to strip Chris from his clothes and dumps him on the bed. He then proceeds to wash up and prepares for the night.

When he gets out from the bathroom, Chris is already curled up on the bed, hogging the blanket to himself. Victor sighs and wonders why they didn’t book two single beds for the two of them. He takes Chris’ clothes from the floor and dumps them into a laundry bag. He’s thinking of going straight to the bed because he is tired, but one look at his best friend on the bed stops him from doing just that. He then takes his wallet and gets out from the room to go to a _konbini_ just right beside the hotel.

One thing that fascinates Victor when he first arrived in Japan was the _konbini._ There are so many things that you can’t find in other countries’ convenience stores - not to mention the variation of food and drinks they provide. However, this time he goes there to buy aspirin and a few bottles of hangover drinks for Chris. And maybe a few packs of Pocky and some other snacks. Chris, you owe me big time, he thinks, although he knows that if he is in the same situation as Chris is in right now, Chris will do the same thing for him.

When he arrives, the _konbini_ is rather empty. There are only two employees tending the shop; one is standing behind the cashier, the other one is busy stocking one of the empty shelves at the back. After raiding the racks for a few minutes, he brings his purchase to the cashier. The cashier, a man with a mop of black hair and blue-rimmed glasses, greets him and takes his basket. He looks down and starts scanning the things inside mechanically. He then puts them into a plastic bag quickly. _Ah, Japanese efficiency._ _Chris will like it,_ Victor muses. He rings up the total amount of Victor’s purchase, clutches the plastic bag on one of his hands, and finally looking up at Victor, and freezes.

_“You have beautiful eyes.”_

The man has said it in Japanese, and Victor is maybe not a Japanese (well, he’s not even human), but one perk of being a Death God is he can understand all languages in the world. That means he understands Japanese. Which means he can understand what the man has said to him just now.

_“Why, thank you!”_ Victor replies in fluent Japanese, smiling widely.

The man blinks once. And blinks again.

And then he screeches.

_“Oh my God did I just say it out loud? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… Wait, you can speak Japanese? Oh my God, oh my God Phichit help me I don’t know what to do!”_

Victor hears laughter from behind him and turns around. He sees the other employee kneeling on the floor, hands clutching his stomach.

_“Oh, Yuuri! I- I can’t, I need to breathe-”_ The man - _Phichit,_ Victor recalls from his friend’s plea just before - is trying to catch his breath, and failing successfully. He proceeds to laugh again, even rolling on the floor.

Victor looks back to the cashier. The man, Yuuri, he notes, is fidgeting and looking around him; at anything but Victor. Victor can see the tips of his ears turning red from embarrassment, and can’t help but think _cute._

_“It’s okay. Nothing to be embarrassed of.”_ Victor tries to ease the situation. Well, it can’t be helped. For human standards, Victor is beautiful. And humans like to appreciate beautiful things around them; that’s the reason why there is this thing called art, and Victor sometimes feels amazed at the lengths humans can do to manifest those feelings of awe.

And that’s what happened to Victor so many, many times. When Victor roams the Earth, either for work or pleasure, many people will stare at him in awe, send him glances, or even invite him for a drink or two. He is used to it; to admiration, to praises. Heck, he even basks in it.

However, this is the first time Victor becomes the recipient of such blunt admiration.

The man, Yuuri, is now clutching the plastic bag containing Victor’s purchase. Victor sighs. As much as he likes to stay and see how the situation continues, he really feels tired from all the dancing and dragging Chris, and he just wants to go back to his room and get some sleep. He clears his throat and decides to save the man from his misery; and also his body from the tiredness seeping to his bones.

_“Hey, Yuuri, right? It’s okay, really. Now, can I get my things?”_

This time, Yuuri stops fidgeting and turns his head to look at Victor. Victor now can get a good look of his face and looks back at Yuuri.

Victor blinks.

And sees them.

The sparks.

It’s there when he looked at a girl’s eyes as she gazed at her boyfriend, calling her name in their last date.

And now he sees them again.

In front of him.

In Yuuri’s eyes.

But Yuuri is not dying. He’s very much alive, indicated by the flush painting his face to his ears and neck. His hands are still clutching the plastic bag and he opens his mouth.

_“Thank you for your purchase. Please come again!”_ he manages to stammer the words. He hands Victor his bag, which Victor takes slowly, eyes not leaving Yuuri’s.

_“Thanks. I… I’ll see you soon, Yuuri.”_

Victor grabs the plastic bag and walks out from the konbini, not bothering to look back. He walks to his room, and dumps his body on the bed when he gets there. Chris stirs beside him, groans a bit and continues to sleep. He looks at Chris, feels tempted to wake him up but knows that Chris really needs his time to rest. He himself needs rest.

Victor puts away his Pocky and drinks, and lays down on the bed, trying very hard to sleep.

That night, he dreams of a man with warm chocolate eyes, gazing at Victor with sparks in them.

He dreams of a man named Yuuri.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up, sunshine!"

 

Victor groans and buries himself deeper under the blanket. He doesn't want to wake up. He was in the middle of a very nice dream. Yuuri was staring at him, with those same brown eyes, with sparks swirling in them-

 

Victor opens his eyes.

 

Yuuri.

 

He needs to find out what those sparks mean. He needs to know how Yuuri can have them in the first place. Yuuri is not dying. Yuuri is alive.

 

_Yuuri._

Victor is disturbed from his musings when Chris pulls the blanket off of him.

 

"Come on, Victor! We need to get moving! Tokyo is waiting for us!"

 

Victor sits up and looks at Chris. His friend is already up and doesn't look like he just had a hangover. Victor sees empty bottles of the hangover drinks he bought last night, along with his Pocky, already opened on the desk next to the couch.

 

"You ate my Pocky? And I even bought you those drinks! How dare you, Chris!" he wails.

 

Chris snorts. "Oh, shut up, will you? You can buy another box later before we go to the cat cafe we saw yesterday. The _konbini_ is just right beside the hotel. Now get up and wash yourself. It's already 9."

 

The _konbini._

 

He gets up from the bed and goes to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He needs to go to the _konbini_ to see Yuuri again.

 

 ---

 

Yuuri is nowhere to be seen when he and Chris arrive at the _konbini._ There are three employees but none of them is Yuuri. Victor is trying to find the other employee, Phichit, but he is also not there. So he takes two boxes of Pocky and goes straight to the cashier.

 

_"Hey, do you know where Yuuri is?"_ Victor says while dumping his Pocky to the cashier. He can feel rather than see that Chris, who is standing beside him, raises his eyebrows. The cashier, a young boy with bleached blond hair - _Minami;_ written in his name tag - stares at Victor in awe for a few seconds, but recovers quickly and answers eagerly.

 

_"His shift ends in the morning, so he already went home. Wait, who are you? Why are you asking about him?"_ Minami narrows his eyes to Victor.

 

Of course, how stupid can he be? He met Yuuri at the middle of the night, so it makes sense that he has a night shift, which means Yuuri is not here in the morning, or even afternoon.

 

_"Well, you can say I am his new friend."_ Victor answers smoothly, smiling at Minami _. "Thank you for the information, Minami. Now, can I have my Pocky?"_

 

Minami seems confused for a moment, and apologizes furiously when he realizes he hasn't rung up Victor's purchase. He proceeds to finish his work and hands Victor his Pocky.

 

_"Thank you for your purchase! By the way, I can relay your message to Yuuri-senpai, if you have any."_

 

Victor smiles.

 

_"Well, in that case, please tell him that Victor is looking for him. Thanks!"_

 

Minami nods eagerly and bids Victor and Chris goodbye, waving excitedly as they leave the _konbini_.

 

After they are outside of the _konbini_ , Chris looks at him and asks him the question he's been dying to ask since Victor greeted Minami.

 

"So... Who is this _Yuuri_?" he asks, drawling the name lazily from his mouth and Victor somehow doesn't like it; doesn't like the fact that Chris is calling Yuuri with such attention like that.

 

"He's... no one." Victor says as nonchalant as he can. As if Yuuri is anything but important. _As if,_ he thinks.

 

"No one, huh?" Chris appears to be as nonchalant as he is, but he knows underneath that expression, Chris _knows_. Chris, after all, _always_ knows.

 

Just like Victor knows that any topics related to cats can distract Chris.

 

"Come on, Chris. You said that you really want to go to this cat cafe, right? It's in Kichi...ouji? Kichoji?" Victor says, trying to change the topic.

 

Chris' face lights up and Victor knows it worked.

 

"Oh, you should see this cafe! There are cats everywhere, and the food and drinks are good, too! And it's in Kichijoji. Here, let me show you the..."

 

\---

 

It's 1 a.m and Victor is standing in front of the _konbini._

Chris is asleep in their hotel room. Today was as exhausting as yesterday. After they visited the cat cafe, they took out the cafe list they made the night before and ended up on a cafe tour around Tokyo. They managed to visit seven cafes in a day, stuffing their mouths with sweet and savory concoctions all day. Combine that with all the walking they needed to do to reach those cafes, and you got the recipe for a good night sleep. A good night sleep because of exhaustion, that is.

 

But Victor, somehow, doesn't feel tired.

 

He feels rather energetic, actually.

 

He finally walks in _,_ the chime in the door starts playing and voices of _irasshaimase!_ welcome him into the _konbini._

And he sees him.

 

Brown eyes meet blue eyes.

 

Yuuri is standing in front of the drink coolers, hands covering his mouth, staring at Victor as if he doesn't believe that the same man from the night before is there in front of him.

 

Victor smiles.

 

_"Hi, Yuuri."_

\---

 

Yuuri can't believe his eyes.

 

The beautiful man from the night before is now standing in front of him.

 

The beautiful man with beautiful eyes that made him said something stupid. He still remembers Phichit laughed for a good few minutes after the man left, and Yuuri felt like he wanted to go to the deepest part of the Earth and never came out. And now the man is here, again.

 

His mind starts racing with different thoughts. _Oh my God, is he here because I was rude to him last night? Is he here to take revenge? Or file a complaint? What should I do? Should I run? Yes, I should run and-_

 

_“Yuuri?”_

Yuuri snaps from his thought and looks at the source of the voice. The beautiful man’s face is now there in front of him, eyebrows furrowing, and he seems worried. And Yuuri sees it again.

 

That ocean blue.

_"Yuuri, are you okay? You don’t look well.”_

 

Yuuri gasps and takes two steps back from the man. _“I’m okay! Thank you for worrying!”_ He says.

The man smiles and straightens up. _“It’s good if you’re okay, then.”_

Yuuri tries to smile back, although maybe it’s a grimace that he gives the man - he doesn’t know, he tends to do the opposite when he’s nervous. He shuffles his feet and clears his throat. The man is still looking at him. Staring.

 

_“So, uh, do you need anything?”_ He asks.

 

The man nods and answers. _“Yes, I actually need something.”_

 

_“Oh, well, what is it? Maybe I can help finding it for you.”_

_“It’s you.”_

 

Yuuri blinks.

 

_“I beg your pardon?”_ he asks.

 

_“You. I need_ you _.”_ The man says, still smiling.

 

Yuuri’s mind is trying very hard to process what he just hears. Surely this handsome man must be joking. There’s no way someone as beautiful as this man needs something to do with plain, boring Yuuri. Or maybe he has misheard Yuuri’s question? Understandable, he’s a foreigner, after all. He might be talking to Yuuri in Japanese, but maybe his Japanese is not really good.

 

Yuuri is still busy with his speculations when he hears someone clears his throat. He turns to the source and finds Phichit with twinkles in his eyes, smiling and standing between Yuuri and the man. Twinkling eyes and Phichit is never a good thing.

 

_“Oh, my God, Yuuri. I was right! He has the hots for you!”_ He screeches. Yuuri shakes his head furiously.

 

_“No, Phichit, stop! It’s not what you think it is! I think he just misheard my question-“_

 

_“I can understand what you were and are saying perfectly, thank you very much. And no, you didn’t misheard me.”_ The man says.

 

Yuuri gasps and stares back at the man. This beautiful man needs Yuuri? For what?

 

Phichit breaks the tension in the room with his cheery voice.

 

“Well, you may understand and speak Japanese perfectly, but I definitely not, as I just moved here three months ago. Shall we speak in English? I’m assuming you’re Victor, right?” Phichit says in English while offering his hand to the man – to _Victor_ , Yuuri notes.

 

“Yes, I am. And you must be Phichit. Nice to meet the two of you, Phichit and Yuuri. I see that Minami has told you about me?” Victor replies fluently in English and shakes hands with Phichit.

 

“Well, aside from the fact that there’s a hot man named Victor was looking for Yuuri this morning, I assume you are just a stalker of Yuuri. So, who are you, really? Not every day Yuuri has the courage to hit on someone, and not every day the one hit by Yuuri reciprocates.” Phichit says.

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri gasps. He looks at Victor, worries that he might be angry, but he just smiles.

 

“No, I’m not a stalker, really. Yesterday was the first time Yuuri and I met. And like I told you, I need Yuuri. I have something to talk about with him. So, Yuuri, can we talk?” Victor says and turns his attention to Yuuri who stays silent during the exchange.

 

_“Oh, wait. You don’t understand English, do you? Can we talk, Yuuri?”_ Victor switches to Japanese, worries written on his face. Yuuri shakes his head.

 

“It’s okay, I understand and can speak English.” He replies in accented English. He also doesn’t believe himself if he speaks in Japanese with Victor. At least by speaking in English, he will have some time to process what he wants to say; thus allowing him to re-think what will come out from his mouth. He certainly doesn’t want a repeat of what happened last night.

 

“You say you want to talk? So, uh, let’s go outside, then. Phichit, can I leave the shop to you?” Yuuri asks. Phichit nods eagerly, seems too happy with the fact that his friend is going to have a talk with a stranger in the middle of the night, and even has the audacity to mouth to Yuuri ‘I need details later!’ while he walks to the cashier, leaving Yuuri and Victor to talk.

 

\---

 

Yuuri and Victor are now standing in front of the _konbini_ , facing each other.

 

_This is it_ , Yuuri thinks, _prepare yourself for a long rambling of complaints from your customer, Yuuri_. He sighs and braves himself. He is going to apologize to Victor for his behavior last night when Victor asks him a question.

 

“Why are your eyes like that?”

 

Yuuri blinks. Well, he certainly doesn’t expect this.

 

“Sorry?” he asks.

 

 “Your eyes. They’re… sparkling.” Victor says while looking at Yuuri’s eyes.

 

“Huh?”

 

Yuuri is really, really confused. _What’s wrong with my eyes?_ He turns his head to the glass panels in front of the _konbini_ , where his reflection appears. He looks at his eyes through the glass; nothing seems wrong. His eyes are still the same boring brown eyes. He takes out his smartphone, looks at the screen, and still finds the same view.

 

“My eyes are _not_ sparkling.”

 

Victor raises an eyebrow. “But they _are_.” He says with finality.

 

Yuuri shakes his head fervently. “No, no! My eyes are… normal. Nothing compares to yours!” He blurts out. Victor blinks, and Yuuri gasps. _So much for speaking in English, Yuuri,_ he thinks to himself.

Victor laughs. “You find my eyes beautiful? You did say that last night. Why is that, if I may ask?”

 

Yuuri covers his face with his hands, trying very hard to calm down and not run from the situation he’s in, and mumbles an answer.

 

“Because your eyes remind me of the sea. My hometown.”

 

Victor hums. “I see. I assume your hometown is a seaside city, then?” Yuuri nods, hands still covering his face. He peeks from between his fingers and finds Victor is still staring at him, his smile never falters.

 

“You still haven’t answered my question, you know.” Victor says, mouth pouting. Yuuri gulps and can’t help but think _cute._

“Well, I don’t know how to answer that question, really. Again, my eyes are not sparkling. It must be your imagination.”

 

“But they are, Yuuri! And last night, too!” Victor insists, but Yuuri cuts him.

 

“Just… stop.” Okay, Victor may not be here to file a complaint against Yuuri, but if he tries to make Yuuri feel annoyed as a form of revenge, he is definitely successful. This weird conversation about his eyes are starting to get on his nerves.

 

“Look, I’m sorry if I offended you last night. I really didn’t mean to.” He sighs. “And I will say this for the last time: My eyes were and are NOT sparkling.”

 

Victor just stands there, eyebrows furrowing as he looks at Yuuri.

 

“You’re right. Now the sparks are no longer there. But they were sparkling last night, and just now, I swear. Why is that?”

 

Yuuri suddenly feels very, very tired. And feels very, very annoyed. He is thinking of ways to end the conversation when Victor beats him to it.

 

“Okay, Yuuri. Thank you for your time. I bet you still have a lot of work to do, and Phichit seems to be dying to know what we’re talking about, so bye! See you next time!”

 

Yuuri turns his head to look into the _konbini_ and finds Phichit stands behind one of the magazine racks near the entrance, trying to crane his neck as far as he can to get a look at Victor and Yuuri. He groans and turns back to Victor, only to see that the man already walks away and gets in to the hotel next to the _konbini_.

 

Yuuri can only sighs and heads back to the _konbini_ , preparing himself to the onslaught of questions from Phichit.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is up! Thank you for the reviews and kudos! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I am writing it. Enjoy!

Victor is confused.

 

He is back in his hotel room; him sitting on the bed, Chris snoring beside him. He replays what happened in the _konbini_ just now.

 

_“And I will say this for the last time: My eyes were and are NOT sparkling.”_

But they were, Victor is sure about that.

 

The sparks were there when their eyes met for the second time. When Yuuri observed the exchange between Phichit and Victor. When Yuuri led him outside the _konbini_ to talk.

 

_“Just… stop.”_

 

And then there were none.

 

They were gone after Yuuri said those words.

_What happened?_

 

He sighs. Victor went to meet Yuuri, expecting answers to his simple question, but now ends up with more questions.

 

He changes his clothes and crawls under the covers to join Chris, letting sleep consumes him.

 

\----

 

“Okay, now spill it. What is it between you and this Yuuri?”

 

Victor sips his coffee, looking at Chris above the rim of his cup. Chris is looking intently at him, his hand under his chin.

 

“What is it between me and Yuuri? There’s nothing.”

 

Chris snorts. “Yeah, nothing. Then why did you go searching for him yesterday morning, even meeting him last night?”

 

Victor puts his cup on the table. “Did you follow me? You stalked me?” he asks calmly. Chris doesn’t reply. Well, he kind of expects Chris to find out anyway, judging from his response after Victor asked about Yuuri yesterday morning. What he doesn’t expect, though, for Chris to bring it up so quickly.

 

“He’s just… interesting.” Victor finally says. He scans his surrounding lazily. People are either busy chatting or doing something on their laptop. Some of them steal glances to Victor and Chris, giggling and pointing at them. Victor sighs and turns his gaze downwards to the sea of people below. They are sitting at a Starbucks in Tower Records Shibuya; the coffee chop is the perfect place to oversee the famous Shibuya Scramble. Chris insisted they go here because his plan to see the famous crossing was spoiled because of Yakov. And because the both of them can’t stand the heat, they opted to watch the mass crowd from a cool, comfortable place; and the coffee shop is the perfect place to do that.

 

Chris sips his iced latte and looks at the people crossing the street hastily below. He stays silent for a while, then he speaks.

 

“Georgi also said that, you know. That it was _nothing_.”

 

Victor whips his head to Chris. “Georgi said what?”

 

Chris shrugs, turning his gaze to Victor. “He said it was nothing. Said he was just curious. But look how he ended up to be.”

 

When Victor stays silent, he continues. “I asked him just before I reaped his soul. He’s our friend, Victor. Georgi may not be as close as you, but he’s still someone who I, and you, usually hang out with, and to just reap his soul without knowing the reasons why seems… _wrong_.”

 

“So you _did_ ask him.” Victor mumbles. “And what did he say?”

 

“Like I said, he said it was nothing… at first. He disguises himself, talks to the girl… And then somehow he fell in love with this girl, and willing to throw away his Death God powers to pursue her love.”

 

Chris looks at Victor, gaze pleading, and takes Victor’s hands in him. “Please don’t be like Georgi. Promise me.”

 

Victor looks at their hands. _Ah, I see_ , he thinks. He understands now why Chris brings up the topic quickly. He doesn’t want another Georgi. Doesn’t want to feel another loss of a friend. Doesn’t want to relieve the pain of having to reap another soul he knows _so_ well.

 

Victor brings his gaze back up to Chris’s eyes. He smiles and squeezes their hands.

 

“I promise, Chris.”

 

\---

 

The next time he meets Yuuri, Victor sees him talking with Minami.

 

 _It’s weird_ , Victor thinks. He looks at the clock inside the _konbini_ , and sees that it is still 5 p.m. Victor is going to greet the two of them when Minami notices him entering the _konbini_ and beats him to it.

 

_“Oh! Victor! Nice to see you again! Yuuri-senpai, he is the one that I was l talking about!”_

 

Yuuri turns his body to look at Victor. Victor looks back.

 

There.

 

The sparks.

 

 _“See, you’re doing it again.”_ Victor blurts out.

 

Yuuri blinks. _“I’m doing what?”_

_“Your eyes. They’re sparkling now.”_

 

Yuuri’s expression suddenly turns into a scowl and the sparks are gone.

 

“My eyes are NOT sparkling, didn’t I tell you that?” Yuuri says in English.

 

“And now they are gone. How, again, did you do that?” Victor asks casually. Yuuri only stares at him, not saying anything. He looks… tired.

 

Minami looks back and forth at them. His face is etched with worries the moment Yuuri’s expression turned sour. He might not understand the English words the two older men are spewing, but he knows something’s wrong when Yuuri’s expression changed.

 

 _“Yuuri-senpai, are you okay? Did he say anything that hurts you?”_ he asks, full of concerns. He narrows his gaze to Victor, who is now standing in front of them, smiling.

 

 _“It’s okay, Minami. Now, remember what I said, okay?”_ Yuuri says to Minami who nods enthusiastically. _“I will! Oh, and how many times I’ve told you to just call me Kenjirou, senpai!”_

 

Yuuri only shakes his head and smiles. _“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Minami.”_ He turns his body, nods to Victor and walks away.

 

Victor watches as Yuuri goes out from the _konbini_ , and sighs.

 

He needs to do something.

 

\---

 

Yuuri tries to calm his heartbeat.

 

Yuuri had gone to his workplace to talk about switching schedules and restocking the beverages with Minami. He, however, didn’t expect to see that man again.

 

The man, Victor, is there again.

 

The beautiful man with ocean blue eyes that remind him of Hasetsu.

 

The man that has been occupying Yuuri’s mind for the past two days.

 

And he’s still asking the same question.

The first time Yuuri saw Victor, he was mesmerized. He and Phichit, with their night shift, are used to catering students who pulled an all-nighter, _sarariman_ who get home from their overtime, or drunk old men looking for a bathroom during weekends. Sure, foreigners come sometimes – after all, their workplace is right next to a hotel - and the two of them have had their fair shares of talking about the handsome and pretty patrons who come to their _konbini,_ but they are not like Victor.

 

There’s something about him that makes Yuuri looked at him the moment he walked into the _konbini,_ two days ago _._ He ducked his head quickly after that, too embarrassed and too afraid of getting caught staring. He could sense Phichit’s gaze landed on him, and he tried his best to stay calm. He was doing a good job at that until Victor came to the cashier to pay, and he had to look up to greet him.

 

His breath was caught in his throat.

 

Those eyes.

 

So beautiful.

 

Yet so _empty._

 

He can feel his face heats up when he recalls what happened afterwards. He stops walking and looks at a glass door of a shop beside him. He walks closer to it and tries to see his reflection on it. He opens his eyes as big as he can, looking closer to the reflection, and pays particular attention to his eyes. The reflection maybe not clear, but he can see that his eyes are still the same plain, brown ones. He really should ask Phichit when he meets him; asks him to check his eyes _again_ , because that’s what they did after Yuuri finished telling Phichit what happened between him and Victor last night.

 

_“You know, you can bore holes if you keep doing that.”_

 

Yuuri jumps and turns his body to face the owner of the voice. He gasps when he sees Victor is right in front of him, smiling as usual.

 

 _“What… How?”_ he stammers.

 

 _“I’ve been calling your name since you left the konbini. It seems you’re pretty occupied with something to the point you didn’t hear me.”_ Victor says, one finger under his chin, eyes looking at Yuuri amusedly.

 

Yuuri looks back at where he came, and realizes that the _konbini_ is about 300 meters away from them. How he managed to walk without bumping into anyone or realizing Victor calling his name is a miracle.

 

Yuuri straightens his posture and clears his throat.

 

“So, what do you want? And if you’re going to ask me the same question, please leave. Or I will have to call the police because apparently, you’ve been stalking me this whole time.” He says with a deadpan expression.

 

Victor gasps and shakes his head, his face turning pale at the mention of police. He starts talking quickly. “Oh, no, no! Actually, I want to ask you if you have time, you know, maybe, for a cup of coffee? As an apology. I know that I’ve been rude and annoying to you these past few days, and I want you to know that I don’t mean to annoy you, really. It’s just that I- Yuuri?”

 

Yuuri giggles. The giggles then turn to a full-blown laughter. _Victor’s face is just so funny!_ How his face can change from smiling to pure horror in seconds, Yuuri has no idea. He tries to calm his breath and wipes his tears when he realizes Victor stays silent.

 

He turns to look at Victor. The man is now looking at Yuuri with an expression akin to bewilderment.

 

“Uh, Victor?”

 

Victor then shakes his head and he turns back to his usual smiling self again.

 

“Well, Yuuri. My offer for the coffee still stands. So?” he asks.

 

Yuuri gulps. Should he take his offer? He can’t trust himself for not acting foolish in front of Victor again. He did it once and he doesn’t need a repeat of something similar.

 

Yuuri is in the middle of contemplating to say no to Victor’s offer when he sees Victor’s eyes.

 

Those same empty blue eyes from two days ago.

 

Yuuri sighs. _Oh, God, help me._

“Sure. So, where will we go?”

 

\---

Victor finds himself in the same Starbucks he and Chris went to this morning. But this time, he’s not with Chris. He’s with Yuuri, who is now sipping his green tea latte in front of him.

 

Victor observes the human before him. How can a mere mortal like Yuuri hold so many questions?

 

Victor just wants to know the answer to the sparks in Yuuri’s eyes.

 

But now he has another question for Yuuri.

 

Yuuri’s laugh.

 

It’s the same ringing laughter of a boy who got to ride a roller coaster for the first and the last time in his life.

 

How can Yuuri make the same sound like that of a dying soul, when he himself is very much alive?

 

He needs to find out.

 

Victor clears his throat, catching Yuuri’s attention. Yuuri looks up from his tea, steams fogging up his glasses, and puts his cup on the table between them.

 

 _“So, Yuuri. I’m afraid I haven’t introduced myself properly. I’m Victor, Victor Nikiforov_.” He says as he stretches out his right hand to Yuuri. Yuuri takes his hand and shake it.

 

“I’m Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki. Just call me Yuuri.” He replies in English. “And, can we just speak in English? I’m actually taking an English class at the university right now, and I want to use it as much as I can. You know, for practice…” he trails off.

 

Victor nods enthusiastically. “Sure, no problem! So, you’re a university student? What major are you studying now?”

 

Yuuri sips his green tea again before answering. “I’m a Dance major. Second year.”

 

Victor raises his eyebrows. “Wait, does it mean you have classes now? What are you doing here? You’re not skipping classes, right?”

 

Yuuri laughs. “No, no. I’m on my summer break, so I have no classes right now. That’s why you can see me in the middle of the night at a _konbini._ ”

 

There it is again.

 

The laugh.

 

_Not now, Victor._

 

Victor takes his cup and sips his coffee.

 

“So, Victor… what do you do? Are you here in Japan for holiday? Because I saw you getting into the hotel next to the _konbini._ ”

 

Victor smiles. “Wow, are you sure you’re not the one stalking me?” he teases. Yuuri blushes and shakes his head fervently.

 

“No, no! That’s not what I mean! I accidentally saw you! Really! I didn’t mean to follow you or whatever…” he says. Victor chuckles.

 

“Relax, Yuuri. I’m just kidding.” Victor says and takes a bite out of his blueberry muffin. Yuuri instantly relaxes.

 

“I’m a programmer. And I’m here for a vacation with my friend, Chris. And we actually live in Japan. In Osaka, to be exact.” The lies come out smoothly from his mouth. He’s done it so many times, anyway. He’s used to it. One time he’s an accountant, another time he’s a doctor.

 

“I see. No wonder your Japanese is so good! You sound just like a native! How long have you been living in Japan?” Yuuri looks at him in awe.

 

The sparks are there again.

 

Victor holds his tongue to make any comments.

 

 _Not now_ , he says to himself.

 

“We’ve been living in Osaka for five years.” Victor answers. “And… actually, we are considering to move to Tokyo. There’s a job offer for us here. That’s why we came here; to see how Tokyo really like.”

 

Victor applauds himself for making up the lie right on the spot. That’s what he needs; in order to get answers for his questions, he needs to be closer to Yuuri. Which means he needs to move to Tokyo, where Yuuri lives. Well, it’s not as if he can show up anytime he wants. Yuuri and Phichit already assume him as a stalker, and even though Yuuri had jokingly threatened him to report him before, it doesn’t mean he won’t do it. He might do it if Victor keeps showing up anytime he likes. A man from Osaka who Yuuri just met not long ago, showing up at odd hours at a _konbini_? Yeah, definitely a stalker.

 

“Really? So, how was it? Are you considering to take up the offer, then?” Yuuri asks.

 

“I think I will take it. Not sure about Chris, though.” He replies and takes a bite of his muffin again. He is planning to ask more questions to Yuuri when he feels something vibrates in his pocket. He takes out his smartphone from his pocket, the black device lights up with notification and stares at him. He, just like other Death Gods, owns at least one smartphone. It’s an important part of their disguises as humans, after all. He looks at the screen and sees a pop up notification in the Home screen, indicating a message from Chris.

 

**Chris**

[Are you with Yuuri?]

 

There are some perks of having Chris as a best friend. One of them is his exceptional, almost telepathic, emotion-reading prowess. Chris has saved him many, many times from dire situations (namely Yakov’s anger) with his ability to read his surroundings easily. He can know and direct people’s feelings and actions to his advantages using his skill. Other times, though, it can be quite bothersome and restricting, especially when Victor wants to do some… things.

 

Just like now.

 

Victor types a reply, fingers hovering over the screen, and presses send.

 

**Victor**

[And if I say yes?]

 

His phone vibrates again with a reply from Chris.

 

**Chris**

[You promised me.]

 

Victor sighs. He types another reply.

 

**Victor**

[I’ll be careful. Don’t worry.]

[Thanks for worrying.]

 

He puts his phone back to his pocket and turns his attention back to Yuuri.

 

“So, Yuuri… What do you like to do in your free time?”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'M BACK! I'm so sorry for leaving suddenly without any news. I was away for an impromptu Christmas getaway, and then New Year came and I got stuck in my annual family gathering. And when I got back to the office, my work already piled up and waiting to be done. Anyway, here's Chapter 4. I actually already had the chapter ready a few days ago, but I did some tweaking, that's why I post it today. So sorry for any typos. Hope you like it, and Happy (belated) Christmas and New Year!

“So, is the rumor true?”

 

Victor sips his coffee, eyes peering to the redhead in front of him.

 

“What rumor, Mila?”

 

“Oh, you know, some birds said that you put a particular interest on a human. They said you met this guy when you and Chris were in Japan?”

 

Victor puts his cup and smiles at Mila. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He gets up and leaves the cafeteria. He can feel the stares people throw at him as he walks down the long hallway to the field of Training Academy. He tries his best to ignore them, putting on fake smiles and saying his greetings with extra sweetness to the people around him.

 

When he arrives to his destination, he can see Yuri, standing in front of the gate field of the Training Academy and tapping his foot impatiently, eyes glaring at him.

 

“You’re late.”

 

“Aww, so sweet, Yuri. Do you really miss me so much you can’t bear me coming late to meet you?” Victor asks and proceeds to smother him in a hug.

 

“Stop it, you old man! Let me go!” Yuri struggles to get out from Victor’s hug. When he manages to do that, he glares accusingly at Victor.

 

“I still can’t believe Yakov decided to pair me up with you. I was actually begging him to be paired with Chris!” he grumbles. Victor can only shrug his shoulders.

 

Yuri had graduated from the Training Academy a week ago, and today will be his first time to do the reaping. And as the rules state, every new graduate must be accompanied by a Death God for at least three months to be deemed acceptable to do the job alone. So he will be Yuri’s supervisor for the next three months.

 

Which is quite… unusual.

 

Victor, because of his quirks and tendencies to do things against the rules, is _rarely_ chosen to accompany a new Death God. In his career as a Death God, he only got chosen as a supervisor twice; first was a stoic Death God named Seung-gil, and then Sara’s twin brother, Michele, a few years back. After his stints with the two, he was never called again for supervising.

 

Speaking of Seung-gil…

 

Victor looks over to the stage in front of the field where he can see the said Death God is standing behind the podium, hands leafing through paper. It seems that Seung-gil will be the one giving the opening speech for the new graduates this year.

Seung-gil, or known as the Stone Man, is now an inactive Death God. Hundreds of years ago, when there was an epidemic in the human world and there were too many souls need to be reaped, Seung-gil came out as a hero against Death Gods’ worst enemy: paperwork.

 

After every time a Death God reaps souls, there’s always a bunch of paperwork needed to be submitted to the Council. These documents act as reports on the number of souls that will enter Heaven and Hell, and later will be handed to the God of Life and Death, who will instruct his subordinates to guide and organize the reaped souls. So, the more people that die, the more documents they need to make and hand in. All Death Gods must make and submit the report, and it can sometimes take a long time, especially if the souls are quite problematic and uncooperative. During the plague, Seung-gil had proven his prowess in handling not only his own reports, but also other Death Gods’. So impressive his work was, that even Yakov himself asked him directly to be the Secretary of the Council; a new position made especially for Seung-gil (and Yakov’s incompetence in handling paperwork).

 

Being the Secretary of the Council, Seung-gil basically handles all the paperwork and documents that are submitted to the Council. He even has the privilege to go meet the God himself. So far only Yakov can do that, and now Seung-gil, with his position, has the exclusive access to meet The Boss – a nickname that the Death Gods give to the God. Other than that, Seung-gil has also become the right hand of Yakov; hence his appearance today in the podium. Apparently Yakov couldn’t come to give the opening speech, so Seung-gil was asked to replace him instead.

 

Seung-gil finally looks up from his paper and stares at the crowd before him. Everyone takes this as a cue for him to start his speech, and the mass becomes quiet. Seung-gil clears his throat and speaks.

“As you may have noticed, The Head of the Council didn’t manage to come here for his duty, so I am the one who will give the opening speech for the new graduates.” He starts.

 

“After spending months of training at the Academy, the time to apply all your knowledge has come. And I may not have enough experience on the field, but I can tell you one thing: it’s not easy. It will be difficult.” He pauses for a few seconds, his gaze sweeps the faces in front of him. “Nothing in the textbook can prepare you for what will happen during your job. No amount of practice is enough to make you ready. That’s why you have your supervisors with you: to _prepare_ you.”

 

“So during the next three months, please learn as much as you can from your supervisors. As eccentric or annoying as they might be, they _are_ Death Gods; the ones who have seen all things unimaginable and experienced first-hand the reaping of _real_ souls.”

 

He pauses again, letting the words sink in the heads of the new graduates. Victor can see Yuri gulps beside him.

 

“I hope with this period of internship, you can become a true Death God: someone who focuses on his real job, which is _reaping_ souls. Thank you and good luck.” Seung-gil finishes and steps down from the podium after casting a sharp glance to the crowd.

 

And Victor may be imagining things, but he swears Seung-gil _looked_ at him when he said the last part.

 

He is disturbed from his thought when Yuri nudges him on the ribs.

 

“Hey, old man. Stop daydreaming and let’s start our job.”

 

Victor smiles.

 

“So, ready for your first job, Yuri?”

 

\---

 

“I swear I will not eat any more pancakes for the rest of my life.”

 

Victor chuckles at Yuri - who is now trying hard not to vomit - and looks at the dying soul next to him. They are at an alley next to a famous café dubbed as the best place for eating pancakes in the town. “So sorry for my cousin. He can’t handle sweet things as good as I am.”

 

This time they need to reap a 75 year old woman. The cause of death: organ failure because of diabetes. When Victor and Yuri arrived beside her hospital bed, she just smiled. And as usual, Victor asked what her last wish was (which ignited a loud protest from Yuri).

 

“Thank you so much for fulfilling my selfish request, young man. It’s been a long time since the last time I ate real pancakes! I can still taste the sweet cream in my mouth.” The woman says happily.

 

“My pleasure, Ma’am. Now, as promised, you need to fulfill your part of the bargain.” Victor says. The woman nods.

 

“Go ahead.” She says and closes her eyes.

 

“Yuri, watch closely.” Victor calls out to his cousin who now fixates his gaze to the scene before him.

 

Victor reaches out his right hand to the center of the woman’s chest. A white glow emanates from his hand and without further ado, he strikes his hand into the woman’s chest. He can see Yuri winces from his peripheral vision.

 

The woman gasps, and then Victor takes out his hand from her chest. Now in his hand he holds a glowing sphere, not bigger than a golf ball, the lights bounces of the walls of the buildings around them. He then takes out a small leather bag from his coat pocket, and puts the sphere inside. He secures the straps of the bag and pockets it back in to his coat. The dying soul in front of him then disperses out, leaving nothing but a wisp of air.

 

“That’s it?”

 

Victor turns his gaze to Yuri. His cousin is now gaping, an expression akin to shock is written all over his face.

 

“Yes, that’s it. And that’s, dear cousin, how you reap a soul.” Victor replies.

 

“Then what’s the whole point of taking her to this shop and shove our mouths with overly-sweet pancakes?!”

 

“But Yuri, if you just do it like that, it won’t be fun, right?” Victor says and chuckles.

 

Yuri _screams_. “You bastard! This is exactly why I asked Yakov to change my partner! I only heard rumors until now, but they are true! You do things on your own, not minding your real duty as a Death God! Now what, you’re going to take me to your human toy?!”

 

“My _what_?”

 

Yuri stops his words. He gulps. Victor may be nice and always smile, but when he’s mad, he can turn even the bravest man into a putty. His cousin’s face holds no trace of his previous smiles; it is now replaced with his mouth set in a straight line. Gone is the warm gaze he gave the dying soul. What is now staring at Yuri is a cold, piercing stare.

 

Victor walks to Yuri. “So, Yuri… what is it that you heard about _me_?”

 

Yuri gulps. He knows better than to provoke the man before him. If there’s one thing that he learns from knowing Victor, it is the fact that Victor really hates being lied to, especially by the people closest to him. _Oh, well, better tell him the truth._

“Rumor has it that you put a particular interest in a certain human.” Yuri says. “They… say that you are _fixated_ by this mortal. People know you like to ‘play’ with the souls, but this one… they say it’s different.”

 

Victor is now standing in front of him, his cold gaze piercing. But Yuri is not Yuri if he is not brave. So he looks back at Victor when he says the next sentence.

 

“They say you will be the next Georgi.”

 

\---

 

To say Victor is mad is an understatement. Victor is _livid._

He is now pacing back and forth in his living room. After the conversation with Yuri, he stayed silent for the rest of the day, only answering in short sentences when Yuri asked for pointers to reap a soul. After their agenda for the day had finished, he went back straight to his home, leaving Yuri alone to deal with today’s paperwork.

 

No, he’s not mad at the people for gossiping him. He never really cares about what other people think of him, so the words they say can’t and will never hurt him. He’s mad because those same people have the audacity to call Yuuri his _toy_. They talk about Yuuri as if Yuuri is not a being with his own mind and interests. As if Yuuri is a mere pastime for Victor. Something replaceable. Something that Victor will dump after he is bored. No, Yuuri is more than that. Yuuri is…

 

_What?_

 

Victor stops frozen.

 

_What is Yuuri?_

It’s been three months after his and Chris’ vacation in Japan. Sure, these past three months they are getting closer. They exchanged their contact information during the vacation. After their meeting at the Shibuya café, Victor managed to ask Yuuri (and Phichit) to his and Chris’ guide for the rest of the vacation. They visited Tokyo Tower, went to Asakusa, played along the beach of Shonan, and even visited a castle in Odawara. They also went to the gay bar they visited before, where Chris and Yuuri had a pole dance battle, with Victor hooting on the sides and Phichit documenting everything with his phone. Chris, despite his reservation of Victor interacting with Yuuri, tagged along with Victor’s whims (which includes visiting a maid café in Akihabara and a pop-up café of a weird, otter-shaped mascot named Chiitan, which Victor falls in love madly with), even going so far to also exchanging contact information with the two humans. Ever since then, Victor pops up at the _konbini_ from time to time, sometimes dragging Chris along with him, and spends his time chatting with Yuuri and his friends.

 

 _Death Gods and humans can’t be friends,_ Chris said after one of their ‘excursion trips’ to Yuuri’s _konbini_.

 

So _what_ is Yuuri?

 

And now there’s another question for Victor to find the answer.

 

\---

 

“What’s wrong Victor?”

 

Victor looks up from his phone and sees Yuuri in front of him, handing a can of hot coffee to him. Victor takes the can and looks as Yuuri takes his seat beside him.

 

“Be careful. It’s hot.” Yuuri says as he opens his own can. They are sitting at a park in Odaiba. Yuuri suggested they took a rest after spending their time looking around at the mall, shopping for Yuuri’s school needs and supplies (which consist of tight leggings and lots and lots of pain reliever). Yuuri also bougth Victor a can of hot coffee to warm up their bodies.

 

“Nothing. Just there are some problems with the new intern in my office. And thank you for the coffee.” Victor replies and opens the can.

 

“Oh, no! I should be the one saying thank you. I know you’re busy, with you having to adjust to your new office, and not to mention the new intern. Yuri, right?” Yuuri says.

 

Victor only nods and gulps his coffee.

 

And spits it as quickly as he can.

 

“I’ve told you! It’s hot!” he can hear Yuuri laughing beside him.

 

 _That_ same laughter.

 

He takes the tissue Yuuri offers to him and wipes his mouth. Yuuri is still laughing, his eyes looking at Victor. And the sparks, those sparks, have appeared again in his eyes.

 

Victor has come to understand a few things.

 

The sparks and the laughter, based on his observations, usually appear whenever Yuuri is happy.

 

So he decided to follow Yuuri in a few occasions; without the man knowing, of course. Chris call it stalking, but Victor prefer the word _observe_. And observe Yuuri he did. 

 

However, no matter the amount of jokes Phichit say, and no matter how loud Yuuri laugh, the sparks and the ringing are not there.

 

So the conclusion is, Yuuri only does those things when he’s with Victor.

 

When he said these things to Chris, he only shrugged and advised Victor to leave it, just like he always does.

 

It seems the more he observes Yuuri, more questions come out.

 

His mind then goes back to the message in his phone.

 

It was from Yuri, saying that Yakov just gave him an extra job to be done today, which is his and Victor’s off day. He then proceeded to blame Victor’s incompetence as the reason he got the extra work. He ended his message with a threat for Victor to show up as soon as possible.

 

Victor clutches the phone inside his pocket.

 

He knows very well why Yakov gave Yuri the job.

 

He knows why Seung-gil looked at him at the end of his speech.

 

He also knows why the Academy decided to pick him as a supervisor.

 

It’s to distance himself from Yuuri.

 

 _What is it with people and their lack of trust for me?_ He thinks. Not that he can complain; after all, he and his antiques make himself someone that he is today. Someone that does what he wants. Someone that can’t be trusted.

 

Victor sighs and gets up from the bench. “I’m so sorry, Yuuri, but something came up and I need to go to the office, like, right now.”

 

Yuuri’s face fell. And the sparks in his eyes, gone. Again. Victor’s heart clenches inside his chest.

 

He clears his throat. “Or… I can ask Chris to sub me. I can still accompany you. You said you still have a place that you want to visit, right?”

 

Yuuri gets up from his position and shakes his head vigorously. “No, no, no! It’s okay, you can go and do your job. It’s the new intern, I assume. You should help him, he’s new and I’m sure he needs your help…” Yuuri trails off.

 

“Yuuri…” Victor starts. Something in Yuuri’s face makes him ready to abandon everything. Abandon Yuri. Abandon Yakov. Abandon his duty as a Death God. “Are you sure? It’s okay, really. I can still call Chris now, he won’t mind.”

 

“No. Just go. Now.” Yuuri cuts him. “We can visit the place someday.” He said with finality in his tone.

 

Victor nods and gathers his things. His heart clenches again. “If you say so…” He still lingers in front of Yuuri, who smiles warmly at him.

 

“Well, thank you for today, Yuuri. I promise I’ll make it up to you soon. See you next time!” Victor said as he turns his body and walks away.

 

A pair of hands suddenly embrace him, stopping him from moving.

 

He looks at the hands, and follows them only to see they are Yuuri’s hands.

 

Yuuri is hugging him from behind.

 

And then he feels it.

 

The warmth.

 

Just like a warm body of a father who just finished reading his last bedtime story to his son.

 

“Yuuri?”

 

He can hear Yuuri gasps and he scrambles to let go his embrace on Victor. Victor turns his body and looks at Yuuri whose face is now as bright as a tomato.

 

“I can still call Chris, you know.”

 

Yuuri looks at anywhere but Victor. He looks like he’s contemplating something. Victor gulps.

 

“Do you want me stay, Yuuri?” Victor asks.

 

 _Say it,_ Victor thinks.

 

_Say it, Yuuri._

Yuuri sighs and finally looks at Victor.

 

“I’m so sorry, Victor. I don’t know what came to my mind just now. Please don’t think too much about it.” He says. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Victor’s heart clenches. Again. 

 

“Just go. I will let you go, _for real_ , this time.”

 

Victor’s heart clenches again. Painfully.

 

“You know what? I also remember that I need to do something with Phichit. He asked me yesterday to… to go shopping! Yes, he asked me to go shopping with him! Silly me, how can I forget?”

 

Yuuri blabbers while gathering his things. He then turns to look at Victor.

 

“See you, Victor! And thank you!”

 

And then he runs away, leaving Victor standing alone in the middle of the park.

 

_What… just happened?_

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“I want to die.”

 

Yuuri mumbles from his place on Phichit’s bed. He’s now at Phichit’s studio apartment, face buried in Phichit’s crumpled bedsheets.

 

“Take my life, Phichit.”

 

“I’m not a _shinigami_ , so sorry, no can do.”

 

Yuuri looks up only to find Phichit is busy with his hamsters.

 

“Seriously, Phichit. Kill me. _Now._ ”

 

Phichit snorts. “Your time will come, sooner or later. But not now. So stop moping.” He throws one of his dirty shirts on the floor to Yuuri. Yuuri doesn’t even budge. The shirt lands perfectly on his face.

 

“I thought we’re friends?” Yuuri asks from under the shirt, voice muffled.

 

“A friend never lets his friend become a criminal, so I doubt that we’re even friends now.” Phichit replied. He puts his hamsters back to the cage and walks to where Yuuri is. He takes the shirt, only to find Yuuri has covered his face with both of his hands.

 

He sighs. “Come on, Yuuri. Tell me what happened. If you don’t tell me, I can’t help.”

 

Yuuri looks up from between his fingers and sees Phichit’s worried face. Who won’t when your friend suddenly barged in into your apartment an hour ago, holding on to your shoulder and demanding you to kill him, and then ran to the bed and buried himself under the cover?

 

Yuuri gets up and proceeds to tell Phichit what just happened. To his relief, Phichit just listens and doesn’t laugh or make fun of Yuuri.

 

“So, you hugged Victor? I don’t see why this is such a big deal. I mean, you’ve already pole danced in front of him.”

 

“I was drunk, Phichit.”

 

Phichit raises his eyebrows. “So you’re freaking out because you hugged him when you’re sober?”

 

“Well… me pole dancing was because of the alcohol. This time… I mean, who on Earth hug someone suddenly like that?!” Yuuri splutters.

 

“You’re just making excuses. Besides, what’s wrong with hugging the person you like?”

 

Yuuri freezes. “I’m… what?”

 

“Yuuri, do you like Victor?” Phichit asks.

 

Yuuri gasps a loud “NO!” only to be met with Phichit’s piercing glare. “Don’t fool me, young man. If you don’t like him, you won’t spend your part-time salary to buy tickets for a weird mascot show.” He says while shoving two crumpled tickets to Yuuri’s face.

 

Tickets for two to Chiitan’s Special Performance, and also its special pop-up café in Tokyo. Yuuri takes the tickets into his hands. Victor and he should’ve gone there today, if only…

 

“Chiitan is not weird. She’s… unique.” He mumbles.

 

“Funny to hear you say that, because I remember clearly you said to me that you really couldn’t understand why people got so crazy over a weird-looking otter which performs equally weird stunts.” Phichit deadpans. Yuuri gulps.

 

“I… changed my mind?” Yuuri mumbles. Phichit snorts. Again.

 

“Katsuki Yuuri. You spent your salary to buy tickets to a show that you don’t even like. Now, look into my eyes and tell me that you don’t like Victor.”

 

“I…”

 

Yuuri finds himself unable to answer back.

 

Truth to be told, at first he was feeling a bit annoyed with the man’s advances, especially with the talk about his sparkling eyes. However, after spending time with Victor for the past three months, Yuuri realizes that Victor is… intriguing. Sure, he is nice and friendly, but there’s more to the man than what meets the eye.

 

Victor seems to never run out of energy. He’s like ‘an energizer bunny’, Yuuri still remembers what Phichit said about the man after a day with the man and Chris. And that energy seems to be contagious to everyone around him. As absurd as it might sound, Yuuri sees Victor as the harbinger of life. People around him never cease to smile and laugh whenever Victor is near. Every moment he spends with Victor until today is never boring.

 

Another thing about Victor that he has realized is that the man, in his own weird, subtle way, really cares about the people around him. When people see Victor and Chris, they will see a kid and his babysitter, while in reality, is the other way around. Victor, contrary to people’s perception of him, tends to indulge Chris in his whims. Yuuri can see it from the way Victor stops drinking when Chris starts to get drunk; how he shifts a little closer to his best friend, offering his shoulder to lean on. How Victor always buys everything in two – and become four when Yuuri and Phichit tag along with them – in the _konbini._ How he always seems so wishy-washy in deciding things; be it food, places, or things to buy, and then Yuuri realizes that that is Victor’s way to let others have their own ways, so his own needs won’t clash with the other three.

 

Victor, Yuuri has surmised, is one of the most selfless persons he knows.

 

And now, Yuuri looks down at the crumpled tickets in his palm. Sure, he doesn’t like Chiitan. He thinks the hyped mascot is overrated. But his mind goes back to three months ago, to a day in summer, when he and Phichit took Victor and Chris to see Akihabara and its anime culture. He remembered they were walking around to find a good maid café that Chris found on the Internet when they saw a Chiitan’s pop up café. Yuuri was going to get them away from the café, but then he looked at Victor’s face, and he stopped.

 

He never sees Victor smiles as widely as that.

 

And his eyes.

 

Those empty blue eyes.

 

They were so _alive_.

 

Yuuri decided then that he would do anything - even watching a giant stuffed otter doing acrobatic - just to see those eyes sparkle again.

 

And he almost gets the chance to perhaps, see the same expression again today, only to be interrupted by an emergency phone call from Victor’s office.

 

Yuuri will be lying if he says he doesn’t understand why he hugged Victor.

 

He wants to see those same eyes alight with life again.

 

He wants to see the same carefree smile on Victor’s face again.

 

But moreover, he wants to be with Victor.

 

So when he saw that back leaving him, he did what came to his mind.

 

_Don’t let him go._

 

So, does he like Victor?

 

“Yuuri?”

 

He looks back at Phichit in front of him and sighs, hands rubbing his own face.

 

“I don’t know, Phichit. I can’t even understand my own feelings.” He mutters.

 

“You don’t need to know it right away.” Phichit says and hugs him. “But please, when you realize what your feelings towards Victor are, tell him right away. Before it’s too late.”

 

Yuuri closes his eyes.

 

“I will.”

 

\---

 

Victor is standing in front of Yakov’s office.

 

After finishing his and Yuri’s jobs today, he decided that he needs to talk to the perpetrator behind all of this. What happens between him and Yuuri is his and his problems alone. He could see the exhaustion on Yuri’s eyes when they were executing their job earlier. No need to drag Yuri into his mess.

 

He is going to knock on the towering door in front of him, when someone from inside opens it for him. He comes face to face with Seung-gil’s stoic face.

 

“About time.” Seung-gil says and turns his back to stand in front of Yakov’s desk. Yakov signals Victor to come in, so he nods and enters the room, closing the door behind him. He takes his place beside Seung-gil.

 

“How are you, Victor? And what makes you come here?” Yakov asks.

 

“Cut the pleasantries, Yakov. I believe you, and Seung-gil here, already know the reason why I come here.” Victor says scathingly.

 

Yakov sighs and rubs his temple. “You know the rule about the relationship between a human and a Death God?”

 

“The relationship between Yuuri and I is not like that.”

 

Seung-gil snorts beside him. Victor’s eye twitches.

 

“What is it with you and the others insinuating that I like Yuuri?” Victor asks.

 

“We are _not_ insinuating. We are stating the truth.” Seung-gil replies from beside him. He turns to glare at Victor.

 

“I don’t like Yuuri.” He said monotonously to Seung-gil.

 

His heart clenches.

 

“Then tell me, Victor, when was the last time you were involved with a human this long, to the point you visit him almost _every_ week?” Seung-gil confronts him.

 

Victor stays silent and finds himself unable to retort. It’s a fact that he likes to play along with dying souls’ wishes, but he never interacts with living humans except during vacations. Yuuri is the first living human he interacts with outside of his works or vacations.

 

“We, Death Gods, are proud creatures that has no time for trivial things as mortals.” Seung-gil continues. “It’s fine if you want to go frolicking with humans just to kill time whatsoever, but never get involved too deep with them. You know the consequences, right?”

 

“I know, Seung-gil.” Victor replies through gritted teeth.

 

“Good. We don’t need another repeat of Georgi.” Seung-gil says sharply and turns to Yakov. “Yakov, I leave the rest to you. I hope you can discipline your subordinate here, be it through punishment or verbal reprimand, I don’t care.”

 

Yakov only nods and grunts. “I understand, Seung-gil. You can leave now.”

 

With one last glance to Victor, Seung-gil turns to the door and leaves the room. The two men in the room wait a few seconds after they hear the door clicks, and open their mouths.

 

“Victor, just like what Seung-gil said-“

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“What?”

 

 Victor can see a vein pops out in Yakov’s temple.

 

“I don’t care what you want to say or do. I will keep interacting with Yuuri. That’s it.”

 

“Victor, do you even realize what you’re doing right now?” Yakov shouts exasperatedly. “Do you even realize the position I’m in right now? I just lost a Death God a few months ago, and now another one shows the same signs like that is going to happen _again_! I can’t afford that! Oh, you must see the smirk that The Boss gave me when Seung-gil told him all these things. And the wings! His black wings, flapping-”

 

Victor raises an eyebrow. _So, The Boss even knows about this?_ No wonder Yakov pulled out the stunt with Yuri and the extra jobs. He must be feeling so pressured right now.

 

Victor almost feels pity for him. _Almost._

“Anyway, Yakov. It’s fine if you want to punish me or what, but never take it out on Yuri, please.” Victor says. “And let me tell you this: I will be still meeting Yuuri, one way or another. You know how creative I can be.”

And with that, Victor leaves the room, minds racing with million thoughts about Yuuri.

 

He really is confused now.

 

Seung-gil and Yakov’s words echo through his head. Sure, he’s interested in Yuuri because of the sparks, and so he tries to visit Yuuri as often as he can to _observe_ , but he never realizes that he’s been visiting the human that often.

 

He takes out his phone and opens his messaging app. His finger hesitantly hover over the screen. He is debating on whether to contact Yuuri or not about what had happened in the park. His action startled Victor. From the past weeks he has known Yuuri, he understands that Yuuri is a reserved person. So for Yuuri to suddenly jump and hug Victor like that is a surprise for Victor. And it seems Yuuri himself also feels the same, judging from his expression and action after he had hugged Victor.

 

Suddenly he heard a notification sound from the device on his hand and sees a message from Phichit. Victor smiles. The Thai man, who moved to Japan for his study, had declared himself the matchmaker for both Victor and Yuuri. It seems he had misinterpreted Victor’s actions as ways ‘to get into Yuuri’s pants’. Victor, seeing that the man can actually benefit him in his _observation_ , didn’t do anything to correct it.

 

He opens the message and reads it.

 

**Phichit**

[Yo, what actually happened with you and Yuuri? He’s been saying he wanted to die ever since he came to my apartment.]

 

Victor grimaces. So, it seems what happened today _really_ did affect Yuuri. He types back a reply to Phichit.

 

**Victor**

[What did Yuuri tell you?]

 

Not long after he sends the message, his phone rings. _Phichit._ He answers it.

 

“Yes, Phichit?”

 

_“Victor, what do you think of Yuuri?”_

 

Out of all the questions he had prepared to answer, this is definitely not one of them.

 

“What… do I think of Yuuri?” he stammers.

 

_“Do you like him?”_

 

“Of course I like him.” He replies quickly.

 

_“Not like that, idiot. I mean like as in wanting Yuuri to be your lover. That kind of like.”_

 

“What…?” Victor trails off.

 

Victor ponders on the question in his mind. Does he like Yuuri? Sure, he likes him. The Japanese man, despite Victor’s curiosity, is a nice man to befriend with. His shy nature may put people off at first, but once you get to know him, Yuuri is actually a very articulate person. He is also very knowledgeable. Often times Victor finds himself exchanging opinions on many things, and Yuuri can always give new perspectives to contrast Victor’s. The man is also kind and helpful to others. He can see so many regulars of the _konbini_ and even Yuuri’s coworkers (one of them is Minami, of course) stealing glances or sighing dreamily at Yuuri. Too bad the man himself is too oblivious to the attention people give him. Overall, he really enjoys spending time with Yuuri. Victor is even sure that if Yuuri had been a Death God, the two of them would get along very well, even become best friends.

 

But again, it doesn’t mean Victor like him _that_ way.

 

No, there’s no way he likes Yuuri that way.

 

His trail of thoughts is cut off with Phichit sighing a long sigh on the other end.

 

_“You know what, Victor? Forget it. Just please realize your feelings before you run out of time.”_

 

And with that, Phichit hangs up.

 

“Huh? Wait, Phichit?” Victor calls out.

 

Only static.

 

He hangs up and think of Phichit’s words. _Just please realize your feelings before you run out of time._

Victor snickers. Running out of time? _What is this, a race?_ Does Phichit think Victor’s going to regret not telling Yuuri that he likes the Japanese man as soon as possible? _As if_ , Victor thinks.

 

Victor doesn’t like Yuuri romantically.

 

Victor then continues his walk, thinking of going to the cafeteria to grab a quick bite for dinner when his phone then rings again with another notification.

 

He looks at the screen and sees another message from Phichit.

 

**Phichit**

[Almost forgot. Here are the photos and videos from our trip to Enoshima. Enjoy!]

 

Victor types a quick ‘Thank you!’ and sends it. The trip to Enoshima was done two weeks ago, when (again) Chris found the information about the small island one hour from Tokyo on the Internet. So the four of them matched their schedule and went there by trains. Phichit, as usual, took documentation of their activities during their visit. Sure, Victor, Chris and Yuuri also took pictures to memorize the trip, but no one can beat Phichit’s prowess in taking photos and videos, and the man himself is never shy to share his works.

 

Victor downloads all the photos and videos from Phichit and scrolls through them. The files are dominated by mostly pictures of the four of them, of course, interspersed with the photos and random videos of the scenery, the food, and some selfies of Phichit (why Phichit also needs to share his selfies, Victor doesn’t ask). He then comes across a video with the thumbnail of him and Yuuri. He presses play and watches as Yuuri and him are standing side by side on the beach, with a beautiful sunset as their background.

 

In the video, he and Yuuri are looking at the sunset. The video seems to be taken from a distance, so all he can hear is only the sounds of the wind, and screams of kids and shouts from other visitors. Victor looks on as he sees the two of them are gaping in awe of the amazing sunset, and then Yuuri giggles, which prompts Victor to look at him. Yuuri gives him a warm smile. He can see the sparks are there in Yuuri’s eyes. And Victor, as a nice person, and because Yuuri’s smile was contagious, smiles back at him.

 

Victor freezes.

 

He rewinds the video a few seconds back and watches it again.

 

_No, it can’t be._

 

He does the same thing again and again, but he still sees the same thing.

 

He pauses at the part where he smiles back at Yuuri.

 

The sparks.

 

They’re now also in _his_ eyes.

 

He closes the video and puts the phone back in his pocket.

 

_What’s going on?_

First he saw them in Yuuri’s eyes, and now the sparks are in his eyes? Are the sparks contagious? Is it a kind of a disease, then? _But Death God can’t get sick!_

 

That’s right, Victor is a Death God.

 

And Yuuri is a human.

 

So how can two different beings like them share the same thing? Moreover, that thing is something that he only sees on dying humans. And Victor definitely is not on the verge of the death. He _is_ the Death.

 

Victor thinks of someone who he can ask about this thing, but he can’t come up with a name. There is no one that he knows, as far as he remembers, who has enough knowledge or interactions with humans to explain the situation he’s in right now.

 

_Except…_

 

Victor gulps and clenches his fingers.

 

It’s time to pay a visit to an old friend.

_Georgi._

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I would like to say sorry for missing for months and suddenly shows up like this. Real life has presented itself with its real problems to me at the beginning of this year, and I've been struggling to keep my life under control. A quick trip with strangers and a resignation letter helped me tremendously, so now I'm back to writing again. I can't promise you a regular update, but I can promise you that I'll finish this story. Thank you for those of you who are still waiting and commenting for this story. I may not be able to reply one by one, but please know I read ALL of your comments. Once again, sorry and thank you. Now, let's go to the story.

Victor walks along the pathway crisscrossing between the buildings, eyes sweeping the houses around him to find what he’s looking for. He fastens the scarf around his neck as the cold wind sweeps his body. His breath comes out in puffs as he takes out a piece of paper from his coat. He scans Sara’s elegant cursive letters on the paper.

 

_The house with the blue door behind the church, number 16_

He looks at his right and finds a building with a big cross on its roof. _This must be the church._ He continues to walk along the small road that leads to the back of the church. He stops and sees a row of buildings lining one side of the road. His eyes start searching for one particular house.

 

_Blue door, blue door. Number 16._

There, nestled between two similar buildings, is the house he is looking for.

 

Georgi’s house.

 

After deciding that he needs to see Georgi, he went straight to the Administration Office to find a person that can help him to reach the fallen Death God. Sara, Mila’s girlfriend, works as an administration staff at the office.

 

All fallen Death Gods, after they are stripped of their magical powers, are sent to the human world where they will live the rest of their life as normal humans. And as humans, they need new identities. The Administration Office provides all of the information necessary for the transition. Which means, the office will have a record of their new names, jobs, and whereabouts; all the things Victor needs if he wants to talk to Georgi. Sara was at first a bit adamant to give Victor the information he wanted. But after a bit of coaxing, the girl finally relented and gave Victor the information he needed.

 

Victor stands in front of the fence that separates the house with the road, debating whether to come in or not, when he hears the sound of a door opening. He looks up to see the very man he’s looking for is standing on the steps leading to the house, one hand carrying a plastic bag that Victor suspects is trash bag. The man’s face shows a surprised expression, mouth gaping as he looks at Victor.

 

Victor smiles at his former classmate.

 

“Long time no see, Georgi.”

 

\---

 

“So, what brings you here, Victor?”

 

Victor puts his steaming mug of coffee on the table before him. He and Georgi are now inside the house, sitting face to face across the dining table in the kitchen. The latter is also nursing the same drink as Victor’s, steams coming out from the rim of the cup.

 

“How are you doing, Georgi?” Victor starts the conversation.

 

Georgi raises an eyebrow, but answers him nonetheless. “I’m doing well, Victor.” He sips his coffee before he continues. “But I’m sure you’re not coming here just to see how I’m doing. So, once again, what brings you here, Victor?”

 

Victor looks at the former Death God in front of him. The man doesn’t change much; makes sense considering he has been on Earth only for a few months, so no signs of aging has marred his appearance. _Yet._

Victor remembers that out of his circle of friends, Georgi was the one who cared about his appearance the most. He always had a bag full of his ‘skincare routine’ wherever he went. Death God may be immortal, but it doesn’t mean they can’t age. Just look at Yakov. One of Georgi’s biggest fears was to be like the Head of Council when he’s old, following right after his fear of not finding his one, true love. Victor chuckles quietly, laughing at the situation Georgi’s in right now. He might have found his true love, but the price is that he will, possibly, be like Yakov in the next few years. Victor is tempted to ask about his skincare bag, whether the man before him still has it or not, when he hears knocking on the door.

 

Georgi gets up and walks to the front door to greet his guest. Victor stays silent and continues to sip his beverage, listening to the conversation happening between Georgi and his guest. He can hear the calm voice of a woman speaking Russian, and Georgi, somehow, replies enthusiastically. He then hears sounds of footsteps and Georgi comes into the kitchen, hands holding a basket of freshly-baked bread and a dark-haired woman follows him into the room. The woman gives Victor a curious glance and turns to Georgi.

 

“Georgi, who’s this?” the woman asks.

 

Georgi puts the basket on the dining table and gestures to Victor to stand up. Victor complies.

 

“This is Victor. Remember, my classmate that I’ve told you before? Victor, this is Anya. She’s my neighbor.”

 

Victor nods and greets Anya. “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Victor.”

 

 _So, this is Anya._ Victor muses.

 

The woman Georgi falls in love with.

 

The very reason why Georgi is no longer a Death God.

 

The cause of Victor, Chris, Mila and Sara losing a friend.

 

Victor clenches his hands inside his jeans pocket.

 

“Nice to meet you, Victor. I’m Anya.” The woman greets back. She then turns to Georgi, smiling sheepishly. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know you’re having a guest. I’ll get back to my house now. Enjoy your time with your friend.”

 

Georgi shakes his head. “No, you don’t have to be sorry. You’re not interrupting anything. Thanks for the bread, by the way.” He says, smiling back, eyes looking at Anya.

 

Victor holds his breath.

 

The sparks.

 

There are sparks in Georgi’s eyes.

 

Anya bids farewell to Victor and he gives the woman a nod as a reply. He waits in bathed breath while Georgi escorts Anya out of the house, hands clenching the coffee cup on the table.

 

When Georgi finally returns back to the kitchen, Victor asks him the same question he gave Yuuri a few months ago.

 

“How did you do that?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Those sparks. In your eyes. How did you do that?”

 

Georgi raises one of his eyebrows. “Sparks? What are you talking about, Victor?”

 

“The sparks! When you’re looking at her! Your eyes were making these weird sparks! Here, let me show you.” Victor replies exasperatedly as he takes out his smartphone from his coat. He’s going to show Georgi what he means.

 

Georgi stays silent as he watches the video of Victor and Yuuri at the beach. His eyes narrow when he gets to the part where Victor is looking at Yuuri. Victor pauses the video there.

 

“There! The sparks, can you see them?” Victor asks Georgi. The man scrunches his nose and shakes his head.

 

“To be honest, Victor, I didn’t see anything. Really.” He answers. “However, I’m curious about this… man you’re with.” Georgi still looks at the video, eyebrows scrunching together. His eyes are focusing on Yuuri’s face. “Who is he? A new Death God? I’ve never seen him before.”

 

“No. He is… a human.” Victor replies. Georgi tears his gaze to look at Victor, his face is marred with confusion.

 

“What? Why would you hang out with a human?”

 

Victor sighs and explains what happened when he met Yuuri. He tells Georgi about the sparks.

 

“So now you’re here to ask me about these… sparks?” Georgi asks Victor after he’s done explaining everything. Victor nods eagerly.

 

“I don’t know Victor. Why do you think I’m the best person you can ask about this? I can’t even see the sparks you mentioned just now.” Georgi continues.

 

“Well, considering you are one of the few individuals I know that has… you know, frequent contacts with the human world…” Victor says slowly. “I thought… you will know about this. Well, I only meet humans during their last moments on Earth. You, however, have been in a… uh, relationship with a human before, so…”

 

Georgi smirks. “Ah, you mean my relationship with my love, Anya?”

 

Victor gulps. _Oh, here it is._

 Georgi suddenly stands up from his seat and starts to sway dramatically in front of Victor.

 

“My love, Anya! My gorgeous! How cruel is it that our love can’t be united, just because we come from two different worlds?!”

 

Victor keeps sitting as he watches Georgi spins around and stops in the middle of the dining room, his one hand stretches out to the ceiling, the other on his chest, covering his heart. His eyes are closed.

 

“But, fear not, my dear Anya, for I have decided to join you in this fleeting world! Now, our love will bloom beautifully, and we will be happy together forever, until…” He turns around to face Victor, eyes looking straight at Victor and smiles ruefully.

 

“Until Death do us part.” He says. He then walks back to his seat and sips his drink quietly. Victor looks down at his hands, fingers interlacing with each other, and says nothing.

 

“Well, who knows, Victor, maybe you’ll be the one who will reap my soul. Or Chris, maybe, that bastard.” Georgi chuckles. “After all, with how humans behave now, I can make sure that Anya and I will meet either one of you sooner than later. Heck, even a tortoise can live longer than us.”

 

Victor looks up and looks at the man sitting in front of him.

 

Georgi is no longer a Death God.

 

He is a human now. A mortal.

 

A creature with short lifespan, compared to him, Victor, a Death God.

 

He will, someday, die.

 

_Just like Yuuri._

 

Victor shakes his head to clear his mind, and asks Georgi a question that he’s been meaning to ask ever since Georgi left the Death God world.

 

“Is it worth it?”

 

Georgi looks at Victor. He doesn’t need to ask the meaning of Victor’s question. He smiles.

 

“Everything is worth it if it is for Anya.”

 

“Even your life? Your power?” Victor asks disbelievingly.

 

Georgi nods.

 

“I don’t know, Victor. Maybe people think I’m crazy to throw away my life as a Death God for a mere human, but if I was given another chance to choose, I think I’d still choose Anya.”

 

“It’s worth everything I’ve experienced when I was a Death God. It’s worth Yakov’s scolding. It’s worth Chris’ disbelieving eyes. It’s worth Seung-gil’s condescending gaze. Heck, it’s even worth The Boss’ trial.”

 

Victor’s eyes go wider. “You… met God? The Boss?”

 

Georgi nods. “Well, even though I didn’t get to see him directly, but I did talk to him. He’s the decision maker, after all. Yakov actually tried to help me, you know. Saying something like I wasn’t in my right mind… but I still chose Anya. Oh, Victor, if you think Yakov’s scolding is scary, wait until you get to meet The Boss! I talked to him, but I couldn’t even lift my head! Somehow his voice only demands order and the next thing you know, there’s this pressure in the air that makes you can’t move your body. Ah, you know the rumors about his black wings? It seems that he only takes it out if he’s angry, or if he wants ‘to show off’, Seung-gil said, but I didn’t recall seeing the shadows of any wings back then? So does it mean he wasn’t mad at me? Hey, Victor what do you think of ---“

 

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, Georgi. Enough, enough.” Victor cuts his friend’s rants. Yes, he already knows The Boss is scary, he doesn’t need further explanation about that. Georgi stills and blinks his eyes, and then clears his throat, embarrassed of his own excitement.

 

“Well, anyway, Anya is worth everything. Nothing compares the time I spend with her. Whenever I’m with her, I feel warm and fuzzy inside.” He says. Suddenly, he turns to Victor.

 

“And you, Victor? What’s going on with you and this Yuuri? Do you like him?” Georgi asks bluntly. Victor snorts. _What is it with people having idea about me liking Yuuri?_

“Yes, I like him, but it’s not like you liking Anya. He’s an interesting human, and I’m curious. That’s it.” Victor answers. Georgi raises one of his eyebrows, one hand rubbing his chin. His expression looks like he’s considering something.

 

“Really? Because from what I see, you definitely have some feelings for him. I mean, the way you two look at each other… it reminds me of the old couple who live not far away from here. They’re always so lovey-dovey, despite their age…” he trails off.

 

“You and Yuuri, Victor, remind me of them. The way you look at Yuuri, and the way Yuuri looks at you, is the same like how that couple looks at each other.” Georgi continues. “Like the other is their world. _Their everything._ Hey, do you think Anya and I can be like that in – Victor?”

 

Victor stands abruptly from his seat.

 

“Sorry, Georgi. I need to go now. Thanks for the drink – and your time.”

 

“What? Victor? Wait! Vic-”

 

Victor dashes out from the small kitchen and walks briskly, ignoring Georgi’s calls behind him. Georgi’s words are echoing in his mind.

 

_Like the other is their world. Their everything._

 

Victor chuckles at those words. His mind is racing with million thoughts.

 

There’s no way Victor looks at Yuuri like that. Yuuri is just human. A mortal creature. While Victor, heck, he is a Death God. There’s no way Victor depends his otherworldly existence on such a fragile being like Yuuri. Even if Yuuri dies, Victor won’t be sad, right?

 

_If Yuuri dies…_

A sudden, painful sting strikes his chest.

 

Victor stops walking and puts his hand over his heart. _What the…,_ he thinks. So now, adding into the weird sparks on Yuuri’s (and his) eyes, he now has a heart problem?

 

Victor lets out an exasperated sigh. He really needs to have a long, cold shower to cool down his head. He continues walking in the chilly air, all the while trying to get the thought of Yuuri out of his mind to no avail.

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say that this is a triple chapter update? No? Well, I've said it now. ;)


	7. Chapter 7

“So? Are you going to admit that you like Yuuri?”

 

Victor groans. The throbbing in his head intensifies and he really doesn’t need that right now. He looks up from his slouched position on the table and finds Phichit grinning like an idiot at him.

 

_Phichit._

 

“I. Don’t. Like. Yuuri.” Victor retaliates. Phichit snorts and gulps his beer.

 

“Yeah, you don’t like him. You _love_ him.”

 

Victor groans again.

 

How did he end up with Phichit, of all people?

 

His mind goes back to two hours ago.

 

After three days of not contacting Yuuri, Victor decided to text him to check on his condition. He sent a simple text message of _How are you, Yuuri?_ A minute after, he got a reply that made him frown.

 

**Yuuri**

[Yo, this is Phichit. Yuuri’s out on an errand and he left his phone here.]

 

 _So, Yuuri is with Phichit?_ Victor thinks. Somehow he didn’t like the idea. He knew the two are best friends, so it’s a given they’re close, but still… Victor typed a reply.

 

**Victor**

[You’re with Yuuri? What are you doing?]

 

 

**Yuuri**

[Yuuri’s been sleeping in my apartment since The Hug Incident. He’s a mess, so someone needs to take care of him. Don’t worry, we didn’t do anything… yet. ;) ]

 

Victor looked at the reply. And looked.

 

Somehow the reply agitated him.

 

Before he had the time to send a reply, though, Phichit texted him back.

 

**Yuuri**

[Anyway, can we meet? I need to talk to you about… some things.]

 

Victor gulped. He had expected for Phichit to maybe scold him or get angry at him, but not asking to talk directly like this. It’s quite unusual for the two of them to meet privately. All this time, they always go out in three: Phichit, Yuuri, and Victor. Or four, if Chris is included. Still, Victor said yes to the request.

 

Which is why they ended up in an _izakaya,_ sitting in a corner table, glasses of beer and _sake_ and plates of snacks scattered between them.

 

Victor takes a gulp of his beer. “Really, Phichit. Stop hallucinating. I think the alcohol is starting to affect your brain.” He says.

 

Phichit smiles at Victor. “No, don’t worry Victor. I’m a strong drinker, and I can assure you that this amount of alcohol will not make me drunk.” And as if to prove it, he finishes his third glass of beer and proceeds to order another one.

 

“Now, back to the topic, Victor. You know you like- love Yuuri, but you still won’t admit it, huh? Everyone with eyes and a brain can tell that you are infatuated with Yuuri, you know?” Phichit says while munching his _yakitori._

 

“And like I’ve said many, many times before, Phichit, I don’t like, or love, Yuuri like that.” Victor grits his teeth in annoyance. The conversation is starting to get annoying.

 

Phichit doesn’t reply and looks at Victor. His dark eyes gaze intently at Victor, as if trying to find any signs of lies. Victor bravely looks back.

 

“Well, you know Victor, you’re _always_ stubborn, I know that, but that very trait can be your disadvantage sometimes.” Phichit finally says.

 

“I always think that you’re interesting and fun with that stubbornness of yours, but not anymore.” He gets up and starts to gather his things. Victor looks at him in confusion.

 

“You’re going home? But you just ordered a beer…” Victor mumbles. _What? So after those accusations, he’ll just leave like that?_

 

Phichit opens his wallet and takes out a few bills. He then puts the money in front of Victor.

 

“You can take the beer. It’s my treat.” He says. “Say, Victor, how would you feel if Yuuri died tomorrow?”

 

Victor looks up at Phichit.

 

“What kind of question is that? Yuuri is still alive. He won’t die tomorrow.” He replies quickly.

 

“I said, ‘if’, Victor. ‘If’…” Phichit chuckles. “My, I was only joking and here you are, already mad just because I implied you can’t meet Yuuri anymore.”

 

Victor thinks of Phichit’s words. _If Yuuri dies… If I can’t meet Yuuri anymore…_

 

The sting comes back again.

 

Victor is familiar with the idea of death. He is, a Death God, after all. Almost every day he guides and reaps souls to the afterlife. But he never dwells too much on it before. Rather than the death itself, he is far more interested in the human’s life. That’s the very reason why he is now involved with Yuuri and Phichit.

 

But the idea of Yuuri dying…

 

Somehow it sets a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 

And the painful sting on his chest.

 

It always comes whenever he thinks of Yuuri dying.

 

“Here is your beer!”

 

Victor jumps on his seat to see a waitress putting Phichit’s beer in front of him. Phichit himself, however, is nowhere to be seen.

 

Suddenly, he feels his phone vibrates in his pocket. He takes it out and finds a message from Phichit.

 

**Phichit**

[Thank you for your time. And don’t be so stubborn! You’ll regret it in the end! ;) ]

 

Victor shoves his phone into his pocket and gulps the beer in one go.

 

\---

 

“Old man, when will you give me a go for solo work?”

 

Victor turns around to face his cousin.

 

“Yura, you know you’re not ready yet.”

 

“Quit talking nonsense, Victor! You know I’m ready to reap souls by myself!” Yuri shouts at Victor.

 

Victor puts one of his fingers on his chin, smiling at Yuri. “Oh, really? Then, how come yesterday we had to have a chase with a kid’s soul half across the city? Oh, and the other day, too, when you suddenly called me for help because a grandma refused to be reaped by you, saying something like ‘a rude kid who has no manners to the elders’? Ah, that reminds me –“

 

“SHUT UP! That- that was a mistake! It’s the kid’s fault for being such a demanding brat! And that old hag, just because I talked back to her, she said I was impolite?” Yuri cuts Victor and rants, his face is red like a tomato.

 

Victor pats Yuri on his head. “Listen, Yuri. Our job maybe look simple, but it’s actually a crucial job. And humans, they’re complex being. You may excel in terms of skills, but you lack one thing, though. Respect.”

 

Yuri moves away from Victor’s hand and spats back. “Respect? What do you mean? They’re just humans.”

 

Victor sighs and looks at Yuri. From the past few weeks he has spent with Yuri, he can see that the boy is easily one of the most skillful Death God he has ever seen. He, however, has a problem with his temper. His hot-headed personality will only make it difficult to finish his job.

 

“Do you ever think what the humans have been through before they died, Yuri?” Victor asks.

 

“Do I care? All I know is I need to take their souls, send them to Heaven or Hell, and that’s it” Yuri mumbles.

 

Victor shakes his head. “That’s where you are wrong, Yuri. The human souls, you can divide them into two big groups. The first one is the cooperative one. They died peacefully surrounded by their loved ones. They knew they’re going to die. They knew their fate. So when they meet us, they already accept the fact that their life ends there.”

 

“The others are not so lucky. They might die because of an accident. A murder. A sudden heart attack. Whether they’re young or old, this group of souls is the ones who are not prepared to die. They still have some things they want to do, be it eating their favorite food or traveling to their dream destination.”

 

“Now, imagine that you’re one of them. One second you are busy doing something, and the next you’re faced with someone who suddenly yells at you and demands you to follow him?” Victor asks Yuri. The boy flinches and Victor can see that he is thinking hard about Victor’s words.

 

“I didn’t ask much, Yuri. I didn’t ask you to fulfill their last wish like I do. I only ask you to be more respectful toward the souls the next time you take their souls.”

 

“They’ve been through so much. At least, what we can do is to let them go with dignity.” Victor finishes his lecture. “Do you understand?”

 

Yuri nods and mumbles something quietly that sounds something like “I understand.”

 

Victor smiles brightly and takes out his list of the souls that needed to be reaped today.

 

“So, Yuri, ready for our next job?”

 

\---

 

“That’s better, Yuri!” Victor shouts and claps his hands, looking at Yuri who has just finished taking a soul. After the scolding from Victor, Yuri has done a great job at suppressing his temper. Victor can’t be any more proud than this. He’s feeling a bit guilty, though, for lecturing Yuri so harshly like that. So, he decides that he will indulge Yuri.

 

“Hey, Yuri. You’re saying that you want to do a solo work, right?” Yuri turns his head quickly.

 

“What? Are you going to finally let me do the work by myself?” he asks snidely, but Victor can see the glimmers of hope in his eyes.

 

“Well, considering you’re doing just like what I’ve said, so why not?” Victor says. He rummages through his coat pocket and takes out a paper and a pen. He scribbles something on the paper. Then, he folds the paper and throws it at Yuri.

 

Yuri takes the paper and looks at it in confusion. “What is this?” he asks.

 

Victor pockets his pen back into his coat. “That, my dear cousin, is a permit to let you reap a soul by yourself. Which means that your internship is already over.”

 

Yuri just stands there with his mouth wide open.

 

“What’s wrong? Isn’t this what you want?” Victor asks.

 

“But, it hasn’t been three months! We still have one week left until the end of the internship! Are you sure you can do this?” Yuri asks back, his eyes wandering between the paper in his hand and Victor.

 

Victor snorts. “You are more than capable, Yuri. It’s okay, you can go. I’ll talk to Yakov later to confirm that you can do the job alone, and that you don’t need any more supervision from me.”

 

Yuri gapes at Victor for a few seconds before regaining his composure. He pockets the paper and stammers a thank you to Victor before disappearing into thin air.

 

Victor chuckles. He then takes out his phone to check any new messages. He finds one from Yuuri. He smiles at the message.

 

**Yuuri**

[Hey, Victor. I’ve checked with Minami and he said he’s okay to sub me tomorrow. So tomorrow we can go to watch that movie! I’ll see you tomorrow at 10. ]

 

Ever since The Hug Incident, everything goes back to normal. Somehow Yuuri didn’t ask or talk any further about the hug. He just replied to Victor’s texts as if nothing had happened. Victor, although confused, decided to keep silent about it and left it at that. After his meeting with Phichit, he reorganized his thoughts and tried to focus back on the real task at hand: finding out about the sparks. He doesn’t have time to deal with Yuuri’s feelings, he concluded. Besides, after finding out his answers, he will no longer contact or meet Yuuri anymore, so being too attached with Yuuri and Phichit will not do him good.

_Yes, it’s better this way._

 

But why does Victor still feel like something is not right?

 

Victor shakes his head and types a reply to Yuuri saying that he will be there tomorrow.

 

 _Focus, Victor,_ he thinks. _Now is not the time to think about trivial things._

_Focus._

Victor keeps chanting the word as he disappears to his next job.

 

\---


	8. Chapter 8

Yuuri sighs as he looks at his phone. He just has received a reply from Victor. He is now standing in front of a train station, waiting for the silver-haired man to show up. They had promised to meet up and go out for a lunch today.

 

Yuuri sweeps his gaze to the people walking around in front of him. Today is Saturday, so there are so many people than usual. He sees teenagers walking around in groups, parents taking out their children, and couples holding hands and laughing at each other.

 

He watches the couples with envy.

 

_If only Victor and I could be like that…_

After the sudden, embarrassing hug from Yuuri a few weeks ago, their relationship goes back to normal. Yuuri, after days of contemplation, decided to not talk about the incident.

 

He remembers curled up on Phichit’s bed, thinking about Phichit’s words.

 

_“Yuuri, do you like Victor?”_

Yuuri thought back to the past three months he had spent with Victor. _Do I like Victor?_ He asks himself.

 

Yuuri never falls in love before.

 

Sure, he has liked some boys, some girls, even dated some of them before.

 

But not one of them has made him like this before.

 

No one is like Victor.

 

No one has ever made him loses sleep, thinking about what is going to happen the next day. No one has ever made him so nervous when replying to a text. No one has ever made him think on how to make the other laugh.

 

So after days of self-reflection, Katsuki Yuuri finally realized something.

 

Katsuki Yuuri likes Victor.

 

He can feel his face heats up as he thinks about that. He shakes his head vigorously to clear his mind. After realizing his feelings, though, he’s still not sure what he’s going to do with them. Sure, Victor might act nice to him, but does that mean Victor likes him too?

 

Yuuri doubts that, though.

 

No one has ever liked him.

 

_No one will like such a plain, boring guy like Katsuki Yuuri._

 

Besides, Yuuri fears of what might happen if he confesses his feelings.

 

Yuuri fears the rejection.

 

He’s scared that all this realization will only do harm to his friendship with Victor. Victor might not want to be friends with him anymore. And that thought alone is enough to make him suffocate.

 

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears someone calling to him. He looks up to see Victor waving his hand and throwing his wide smile at him. Yuuri can feel a warm, fuzzy feeling that spreads throughout his whole body as he sees the man approaching him.

 

_Well, at least Victor is here with me now._

 

For now, Yuuri will treasure the time and attention the silver-haired man gives to him.

 

For now, that’s enough for him.

 

He waves back and walks to greet Victor.

 

\---

 

“Whoa! What a nice movie!”

 

Yuuri smiles and nods at Victor’s words as the man rambles on the story and the parts that he likes about the movie. He can’t comment much on the movie because he spent half of time in the theater just watching Victor. He was mesmerized by how the man’s expressions changed rapidly from one scene to another. The lights from the screen bounces off his face and his eyes, and Yuuri couldn’t help himself from drinking the scenery in front of him. He still remembers how his heart leaped to his throat from hearing Victor’s laugh at one funny scene from the movie. He still remembers how his hand itched to feel the warmth radiating from Victor’s hand on the hand rest between them. He still remembers -

 

“Yuuri, are you okay?”

 

Yuuri can feel his heart jump inside his chest and turns around to Victor’s voice. The man is looking at him, concern painted on his face as he stands besides Yuuri.

 

“Sorry, I was just… lost in thoughts. I’m okay. So, where are we going now?”

 

Victor seems unconvinced, but if he is he seems to let it go. He puts his index finger in front of his lips, a habit that Yuuri noticed occurs every time the man is thinking hard about something.

 

“Hmm, how about lunch, Yuuri? But I don’t know this area, so do you have any recommendations?” Victor proposes.

 

“To be honest, I’m also not really familiar with this area. Let me check first...” Yuuri answers and takes out his phone to find a good eating place. He slides his finger on the screen and sees a message notification from Minami.

 

**Minami**

[Yuuri, I’m so sorry, but could you please come to the store? Something came up and I need your help.]

 

Yuuri reads the message and sighs. _It must be the cash register again._ The cash register has been acting up for the past few days. The cash drawer sometimes gets stuck and it has caused some small problems with the customers and staff alike. Yuuri had reported the problem to their supervisor, who forwarded it to the main branch, but no replacement has been delivered yet. And knowing Minami, Yuuri bets the kid must be panicking right now. Yuuri looks at the time on his phone and decides that the lunch can wait for a bit.

 

“Hey, Victor? Do you mind if we go to the _konbini_ before our lunch? I need to go there to help Minami, after that we can have lunch at a ramen shop nearby.” Yuuri says.

 

Victor beams and nods. “I don’t mind! Let’s go!”

 

\---

 

“ _Irrashaimase!”_

When Yuuri arrives at the _konbini,_ the store is relatively empty except for Minami and two other customers. Yuuri walsk to the counter and sees Minami is busy fiddling with the cash register behind the counter. His face scrunches up, eyebrows knitting and eyes are full of concentration. Yuuri feels pity and greets him.

 

 _“Yuuri! You’re here!”_ Minami wails when he sees Yuuri walking up to him. _“It’s been stuck for the past 3 hours! It was fine when I started my shift, and then after about an hour, it’s started acting up again. Thank God the customers so far have been understanding and chose to use cashless method for the payment. Oh, and so sorry to call and disturb your date with Victor, but you’re the only one in here who managed to open the drawer, twice. I can’t rely on the manager. He’s hopeless.”_ Minami explains.

 

 _“It’s okay, Minami. And for the record, it’s not a date. It’s just a friendly meeting.”_ Yuuri answers while fiddling with the drawer. He glances to Victor from behind the counter. The man is busy looking at the Pocky section, seemingly deep in concentration.

 

 _Even with his eyebrows knitting together, he still looks handsome._ Yuuri thinks. _Not fair._

Suddenly Victor turns his head and his eyes meet Yuuri’s. Yuuri’s breathe hitches and he ducks his head behind the counter, banging his head in the process.

 

 _“Yuuri! Are you okay?”_ He can hear Minami’s concerned voice and Victor’s footsteps approaching. He stands up and rubs his forehead.

 

 _“I’m fine, I’m fine! It’s just a little scratch. No worries.”_ He looks up and sees Victor’s worried eyes trained on him. He curses in his head and blushes.

 

“Are you okay, Yuuri? Should we go to the hospital?” Victor asks. Yuuri shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’ll just go the backroom to check on my forehead. We have the first aid kit there.” He says as he walks to the door leading to the backroom, “STAFF ONLY” written in bold letters on it.

 

 _“Minami, is the manager there?”_ Yuuri asks the blonde. _“No, he’s out for lunch. You can have the room for yourself.”_ Yuuri nods and opens the door, leaving Minami and Victor alone.

 

 _Stupid Yuuri._ He thinks. _Why would you do that? Why would you think about that kind of thing out of the blue? And now you hurt yourself because of that._

Yuuri arrives at the backroom and feels relieved to find the room empty, just like what Minami said. He’s not in the mood to meet the manager now, especially in this condition. The man is nice, but sometimes he can be too fussy and that makes Yuuri uncomfortable. No need to add another worried person.

 

Yuuri goes to check himself in the mirror that is hung next to the lockers. _Thank God it’s just a little bump,_ he thinks as he rubs his forehead _._ He then walks to one of the drawers to find the first aid kit. He is in the middle of searching for an ointment when he hears someone’s screaming.

 

_Minami._

Yuuri bolts out from the room to go back to the store.

 

\---

 

When he gets back at the store, he is greeted by an alarming scenery.

 

A middle-aged man clad in a black trench coat is standing in front of the cashier, holding and pointing something at Minami, whose face is as white as paper. Victor is standing not far from the man, his expression calm, but Yuuri can see the hard lines on his face. Is Victor… angry? Next to him, there’s a young boy with blonde hair, maybe a high-school student, dressed in a black three-piece suit, face marred with worries and confusion. He clutches a paper in one of his hand.

 

Oh, how he wishes the manager is here with them now.

 

Yuuri’s eyes look back at the man in trench coat and his heart pounds faster when he realizes what the man is holding in his hands.

 

It’s a knife.

 

He tries to scream, but no words come out of his mouth. He looks past the glass door to the street outside. He can see people walking in the street, but no one seems to realize the situation inside this _konbini._ He tries to think, to get them out of this situation, to do something, but his whole body is frozen.

_“So, someone has decided to join us here.”_

 

Yuuri’s head snaps to the source of the voice. The man is now looking at him, hands still pointing at Minami. He gestures for Yuuri to come closer with his head, and Yuuri hesitates. He looks at Minami, and then at Victor, not knowing what to do. When his eyes meet Victor, the man just nods and smiles at him, reassuring him. Yuuri’s heart skips a beat and he looks back at the middle-aged man. He’s now pointing his knife to Victor.

 

_“Come here, boy, or I’ll stab your pretty friend here.”_

 

_“No! Don’t do that, please!”_

_“Ha! Just try!”_

 

Yuuri looks at the blonde teenager next to Victor. _Did he just… taunt the man?_ He looks at Victor, who is now closing his eyes and sighs heavily. Victor then open his eyes and talks to the blonde, eyes glaring.

 

“What did I say, Yuri? Respect.” He sternly tells the teenager. The boy flinches a little and lowers his gaze, seemingly ashamed of what he did.

 

_Yuri? Isn’t that the name of the new intern in Victor’s office? What is he doing here? And he’s only a teenager! How come he can work there?_

Questions begin swirling inside his head until the attacker shouts.

 

_“Hey! I’m the one in charge here! Now come here or I’ll stab your friends to death!”_

 

 _“I will go there!”_ Yuuri answers immediately. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and with a new resolve, he straightens his body and looks at the man. _“I’ll go there. Just… don’t hurt anyone.”_

 

He slowly moves to the man, eyes alternating between Minami and Victor and the boy, Yuri, while trying to keep a safe distance between him and the man. He stops moving when the man tells him to.

 

_“Good. Now, I need money, and your friend here says the machine is broken and can’t be opened. Assuming you are also an employee here, because you just came out from that door for staff, and your friend here is lying to protect the money, I’m sure you can help me open the machine here, right?”_

_“But I’m not lying! It’s broken! I swear!”_ Minami wails from his position.

 

 _“Shut up!”_ The man shouts at Minami, making the boy cowers. He then turns back at Yuuri. _“So, what will you do? Will you help me?”_

 

Yuuri gulps. He really doesn’t want to help a criminal but the situation is also not favorable for him and the others. He decides the safest way for them is to do what the man asks him.

 

 _“The machine is broken, but lucky for you, I can open it.”_ Yuuri says. He can hear Minami gasps from behind the counter and feels the heat of a gaze from someone. _Is it Victor’s?_

 

The man smirked triumphantly. _“Good! So get your ass here and open it for me.”_

 

He suddenly grabs Yuuri’s arm and drags him to the counter, all the while pointing his knife to Yuuri’s back. Yuuri can feel the sharpness of it through his clothes. He glances at Victor, the man stays silent and keeps looking at Yuuri. He then nods at Yuuri, mouthing _“It’s okay”_ to him. Yuuri smiles back nervously.

 

The man throws Yuuri to the cash register. Minami immediately goes to Yuuri and stands beside him. yuuri smiles at the him, reassuring him. The man is now standing beside Yuuri, knife still pointed to Yuuri’s back.

 

 _“Open it and take out the money.”_ He commands.

 

Yuuri proceeds to tinker with the machine, trying to keep his clammy hands from slipping and calm his pounding heart. He tries hard to focus on his task with the ringing in his ears and the knife piercing to his back.

 

_Calm down, Yuuri. Calm down. Everything’s going to be fine._

He tries to open the drawer with his usual trick but it keeps getting stuck. He usually manages to do it on his second try, but today seems to be his unlucky day. Fourth try and the drawer still won’t open.

 

 _“Are you trying to lie to me? Open it!”_ The robber barks at him, pressing the knife deeper to his clothes. He flinches but keeps trying to focus on his task.

 

 _“Just wait, please. I beg you.”_ Yuuri pleads.

 

_Please make it work. Please._

 

And then Yuuri hears the familiar click of the drawer opening. He releases a relieved breathe and turns to the robber, ready to let him take the money inside.

 

The series of things that happens after that seems to move in slow motion to Yuuri.

 

He can hear Minami screams and when he turns to check on him, he sees the boy tackles the robber to the ground. Yuuri can see the lithe body bumps into the robber’s body. The nest thing he know, the world seems to tilt from its axis. As Minami and the man are falling to the floor, the robber grabs Yuuri’s arm in his haste of finding something to hold on to. The three of them fall in a heap of bodies on the floor.

 

And there he is, on top of a middle-aged man, his coworker lying haphazardly next to him. He checks on the robber and finds him to be unconscious. It seems he had hit his head on the counter and passed out. He looks at Minami and he finds that Minami is in the same condition, but a water gallon behind the counter seems to be the culprit.

 

He then tries to move from the top of the robber, but a searing pain from his stomach stops him from doing so. The pain is so intense to the point it makes his whole body jolts and he falls back on top of the robber. He then hears Victor shouting his name and he looks up to find Victor and the blonde boy coming to him. He looks up and tries to smile at Victor, but now he can feel constant pain from his stomach and the smile turns into a grimace. Victor lets out a sound that seems to be like a wail, and he can hear him saying “No, no, no, no, no” over and over again. He then hear Victor and the blonde teenager talk in a language he doesn’t understand. It seems that they are arguing, Yuuri doesn’t know, but the next thing he knows is the two of them are holding onto Yuuri’s body and moving him from the top of the robber’s body. Yuuri groans and curses because of an intense pain that suddenly shots throughout his whole body.

 

When he opens his eyes, he sees the familiar ceiling and the light fixtures of the _konbini_. Victor and Yuri have laid him on his back. Their two faces soon join his line of vision, each of them sits on either side of his body. The two of them wear a worried and confused expression respectively. He wants to laugh at their expressions but can’t. The pain prevents him from doing so. He then tries to move his hand to his stomach, to the source of pain. Something wet meets his hand and he feels confused. He then takes his hand to the front of his face and sees something red.

 

_Oh._

It’s blood.

 

His hand is covered in blood.

 

He lets out a chuckle and looks at Victor. His handsome face is scrunched and… are those tears on his eyes?

 

His blue eyes are now glassy because of the tears.

 

_Just like the sea of Hasetsu._

 

Yuuri feels like he’s drowned in them.

 

He then looks at the blond teenager, Yuri, beside him. The teenager now seems calmer, and in his hand he clutches the paper that Yuuri’s seen before. He opens the paper and clears his throat, and speaks.

 

“Katsuki Yuuri, age 21. The cause of death: loss of blood because of stabbing.” He reads. He can hear Victor groans on his other side. Yuri pauses and looks straight at Yuuri’s eyes.

 

“I have now come to reap your soul.”

 

\---

 


End file.
